I just built a model of USS Desoto County, LST 1171. I was Engr Officer on her in 1958. To start I used the WWII LST kit that is commercially available and built a new superstructure, and modified a few other details. Results, while not perfect were OK.
LST = Large slow target. Was LCDR Daniel York the Captain when you were aboard? If so I have a link for you. www.navsource.org/…/161171.htm It has pictures and some information.
Do you have any pictures?
My dad served on LST 1167 as a radioman. I have several pictures and his plank owner certificate. Would like to build it some day. I would also like to see some pics of your build. I think they are the same class.
Let me correct myself. LST 1167 USS Westchester County was a Terribone Parish class LST which was a class of 15 vessels that just preceeded the DeSoto class. There appear to be some differences in superstructure and perhaps forward arrangements.
I served aboard Windham County (LST1170) from '67 - '69…been looking all over for plans for the 1156-class LSTs…the library in Door County (WI) has the shipyard plans for that class of T, but won’t let anyone use them. Let me know if you have any luck finding decent plans for these ships.
As a postscript to my last msg…I hope you dad wasn’t involved in the VC mining of Westchester County in '68.
I remember the Desoto County well. In the mid 1960s I was on the USS Rockbridge. At the time we travelled as a six ship squadron to the Caribbean and Med. The ships were: Rockbridge-APA, Monrovia-APA, Desoto County-LST, Uvalde-AKA, Donner-LSD, and Liddle-APD. For the Med a second LSD was substituted for the APD.
IIRC my dad served on 1167 when she was commissioned. I remember him talking about sailing from New Orleans to Little Creek. He was on another one in Korea but the number escapes me. He also spent some time on a PCE. He passed away January 2003, wish I would have gotten more of his story and written it down.
Yes, D. A. York was CO when I was aboard. He was a great CO and tried to convince me to stay Navy but I had to get out and make some money to pay off my Maine Maritime Academy bills. In fact I built the LST model to send to him. I was sure he would not remember me but thought it would be a wonderful thing to send him a model of his first command “out of the blue” from a long ago forgotten, young Ensign. However in tracking him down I was informed by his Alma Mater, US Merchant Martine Academy, that he passed away a long time ago. He retired as Captain USN. Thus I gave the model of the De Soto County LST 1171, to the Veteran’s Museum here in San Diego in his honor. The DeSoto County, was 442 feet in length, had 6 main engines, 2400 HP each, opposed piston, Fairbanks Moose. Thus when maneuvering, the bridge could order up four engines kept in “Ahead” and two engines kept in “Astern” and by simply controlling one small control lever for the electro-magnetic couplers you could drive the ship forward or astern and more easily maneuver the ship.The forward engine room, (Main Control), had two engines, the #2 Engine Room had one engine; the 3rd Engine Room had two engines and the 4th Engine room had one engine. Electro-magnetic couplings to the shafts. Twin screw, fixed blades. The noise in the steel enclosures of the engine rooms was incredible. After more than 50 years, I still have a hearing loss. We did not know about ear plugs in those days. The model was built on the hull of the WWII LST model which is commercially available. I had to construct the entire superstructure and a number of other details. It is not perfect but “good enough”. All I had to go on was my faded memory and a photograph or two. The ship, like other flat bottomed LSTs, rode like an “out of control bus” on an unpaved road. Once, in rather calm seas, a Construction Battalion’s very large steam roller which was on board, snapped the heavy chains holding it to the main deck, and it flew over the side of the ship into the drink, without leaving any scratches in the paint on the main deck. I have some photos of the model of DeSoto County. I’m an old geezer, so give me some advice on how to post them, to this site.