>From the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships," 

(1969) Vol. 4, p.72





LAWRENCE COUNTY





	Counties in 11 States of the United States.





LST-887

Displacement:  1,625 t.

Length:  328'

Beam:  50'

Draft:  14'1"

Speed:  12 k.

Complement:  119

Armament:  8 40mm; 12 20mm

Class:  LST-511



	LST-887 was laid down by Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa., 

27 August 1944; launched 7 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. 

F. J. Conroy; and commissioned at New Orleans, La., 7 

November 1944, Lt. Loring O. Chandler, USCGR, in command.



	After shakedown out of St. Andrew's Bay, Fla., LST-887 

departed New Orleans 10 December and steamed to San Diego, 

Calif., where she arrived the 31st to unload bulk cargo.  

Thence she reached Seattle, Wash., 13 January 1945; and, 

after embarking Army engineers and support equipment, she 

sailed in convoy for Pearl Harbor 10 February.  There she 

embarked Seabees following her arrival 22 February, and on 4 

March she joined a convoy bound for the western Pacific.



	After touching at Eniwetok and Saipan, LST-887 departed 

the Marianas 26 March for the invasion of Okinawa.  Assigned 

to the Southern Defense Group of the Southern Attack Force, 

she closed beach Orange I on 2 April and began discharging 

troops and equipment.  During the next 2 weeks she operated 

in Okinawan waters making a cargo shuttle run to Kerama 

Retto and back 9 to 10 April and providing smoke cover for 

American ships during Japanese air attacks.



	Between 12 and 15 April LST-887 took part in repelling 

three enemy air strikes.  While laying smoke 12 April, she 

splashed an enemy dive bomber.  As the plane dove for SS 

MINOT VICTORY, her 40mm and 20mm guns repeatedly hit the 

kamikaze which splashed close board the merchantman.



	Sailing in convoy 16 April, LST-887 reached Ulithi, 

Carolines, the 23d.  Between 10 May and 9 June she steamed 

via the Admiralties and the Russell Islands to Guadalcanal 

and transported troops and equipment via Eniwetok to Guam.  

Thence, after loading 4,400 drums of gasoline at Saipan, she 

returned to Okinawa 26 June and exchanged her cargo of fuel 

for one of tanks and amphibious vehicles.  On the Fourth of 

July she sailed once again for the Marianas, arriving Guam 6 

days later.



	During the closing days of the war in the Pacific and 

over the next 2 months, LST-887 continued supply and ferry 

runs among and out of the Marianas.  In addition to cruises 

between Guam and Saipan, she steamed to Peleliu, Palaus, and 

back between 27 August and 6 September.  Thence, with 

occupation troops embarked, she cleared Saipan in convoy 17 

September and steamed to Japan, arriving Nagasaki, Kyushu, 

the 24th.  Between 28 September and 25 October she steamed 

to the Philippines and carried additional troops to 

Mitsuhama, Shikoku.  The LST returned to Manila Bay 6 

November and during the next month transported troops and 

equipment from Mangarin Bay, Mindoro, to Batangas, Luzon.



	LST-887 returned to Manila 9 December; and, after 

embarking troops for passage to the United States, she 

sailed 14 December.  Steaming via Guam and Pearl Harbor, she 

reached San Francisco 30 January 1946.  She remained there 

until 2 April when she sailed for Astoria, Oreg.  She 

arrived 5 April, moved to Portland the 9th, and from 13 June 

to 22 July underwent inactivation at Vancouver, Wash.  

LST-887 decommissioned at Portland 23 July 1946 and entered 

the Pacific Reserve Fleet.



	LST-887 recommissioned at Bremerton, Wash., 3 November 

1950, Lt. Walter T. Babcock in command.  She sailed to San 

Diego between 29 November and 6 December; and, following 

shakedown and training, she departed 21 March 1951 for the 

Far East.  Steaming via Pearl Harbor, she reached Yokosuka, 

Japan, 26 April and 4 days later began cargo and training 

runs along the Japanese coast.  Early in September she 

joined the seaborne supply line in support of American 

forces fighting Communist aggression in South Korea.  

Between 4 and 14 September she carried troops and cargo out 

of Sasebo to Kangnung, South Korea.  After completing 

additional cargo operations among the islands of Kyushu, 

Honshu, and Hokkaido, she again steamed to Korea 21 

December.  She reached Inchon the 28th, debarked her troops, 

and during the next 2 weeks operated along the western coast 

of Korea.  She returned to Yokosuka 17 January 1952, thence 

from 10 February to 8 March steamed via Pearl Harbor to San 

Diego.



	LST-887 deployed to the Far East 25 August; and, upon 

arriving Yokosuka 8 October, she resumed cargo runs among 

the Japanese islands.  She renewed her logistics duty from 

Japan to Korea 10 December when she departed Otaru, 

Hokkaido, to carry troops and equipment to Pusan.  She 

returned to Yokosuka via Otaru 23 December.  During the next 

3 months additional shuttle runs out of Otaru and Yokosuka 

sent her to Inchon and along the Korean coast to Koje Do.  

After returning to Yokosuka 2 April 1953, she departed 18 

April for the west coast and reached San Diego 16 May.



	After the cessation of hostilities 27 July 1953, 

LST-887, between 31 July and 25 August, steamed to Japan.  

There she embarked returning troops at Nagoya and Yokosuka 

and sailed for the United States 3 September, via Hawaii, 

arriving San Diego 12 October.



	Following overhaul and training, LST-887 again deployed 

to the Far East 27 March 1954 and arrived Yokosuka 3 May via 

Pearl Harbor and Guam.  During the next 3 months she steamed 

out of Yokosuka along the Japanese coast and to Korea and 

Okinawa in support of American training and readiness 

operations.  Departing Japan 17 August, she steamed to 

Southeast Asia to support the "Passage to Freedom" 

operations from North to South Vietnam.  Between 30 August 

and 20 September she made four voyages out of Haiphong to 

Nha Trang and Tourane carrying French troops and equipment.  

After departing Vietnam 28 September, she steamed via 

Yokosuka and Pearl Harbor to San Diego where she arrived 7 

November.



	Between 13 March 1955 and 14 May 1957, LST-887 made two 

more deployments to the Far East.  While operating out of 

Yokosuka, she was named LAWRENCE COUNTY 1 July 1955.  

Training and logistics duty in support of the mighty 7th 

Fleet sent her from Japan to Okinawa, Hong Kong and the 

Philippines.  In addition, she made periodic runs out of 

Yokosuka to Sasebo and Nagoya.



	Following the completion of her Far East deployment in 

1957, LAWRENCE COUNTY continued cargo and training voyages 

out of San Diego to U.S. Pacific bases.  She trained in 

Hawaiian waters during July and August, and she steamed the 

Pacific coast to Kodiak, Alaska, and back between 30 

September and 10 November.  She returned to the Hawaiian 

Islands 5 April 1958 for operations out of Pearl Harbor 

until sailing for the Marshalls 7 May.  Between 21 May and 

18 June she provided logistics support during seven nuclear 

test shots.  Thence, she departed Eniwetok 22 June and 

arrived San Diego via Pearl Harbor 19 July.



	LAWRENCE COUNTY returned to Pearl Harbor 8 May 1959 and 

resumed passenger and cargo runs to Pacific bases.  She 

sailed for Midway 9 May and operated there until returning 

to Pearl Harbor 24 June.  Between 13 August and 30 October 

she cruised to Wake, Eniwetok, and Ponape to shuttle cargo.  

Departing Pearl Harbor 2 November, she reached San Diego 19 

November.



	LAWRENCE COUNTY operated at San Diego until sailing for 

Astoria, Oreg., 24 February 1960.  She arrived the 29th and 

decommissioned there 22 March 1960.  She was placed in the 

Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet.  In December 

1960 she was sold to Indonesia under terms of the Foreign 

Assistance Sales Program for service in the Indonesian Navy 

as TANDJUNG NUSANIVE (LST-1).



	LST-887 received one battle star for World War II and 

three battle stars for Korean service.



	[TANDJUNG NUSANIVE was deleted from the Indonesian Navy 

in 1974.]



“Jane’s Fighting Ships, 1976-77,” p.233





Transcribed by Michael Hansen

mhansen2@home.com