USS LST-563

LST-563 broached LST-563 broached on Clipperton Island, 22 December 1944
History
Name:	USS LST-563
Builder:	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company, Evansville, Indiana
Laid down:	4 March 1944
Launched:	1 May 1944
Sponsored by:	Mrs. N. E. Senescall
Commissioned:	20 May 1944
Struck:	9 February 1945
Fate:	Wrecked 21 December 1944
General characteristics
Class & type:	LST-542-class tank landing ship
Displacement:	1,625 long tons (1,651 t) light 4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full
Length:	328 ft (100 m)
Beam:	50 ft (15 m)
Draft:	Unloaded : 2 ft 4 in (0.71 m) forward 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) aft Loaded : 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft
Propulsion:	2 × General Motors 12-567 diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
Speed:	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried:	2 or 6 LCVPs
Troops:	14-16 officers, 131-147 enlisted men
Complement:	7-9 officers, 104-120 enlisted men
Armament:	8 × 40 mm guns 12 × 20 mm guns

USS LST-563 was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was in commission during 1944.

Construction and commissioning

LST-563 was laid down on 4 March 1944 at Evansville, Indiana, by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company. She was launched on 1 May 1944, sponsored by Mrs. N. E. Senescall, and commissioned on 20 May 1944 with Lieutenant J. B. Hockswender, USNR, in command.

Service history

During World War II, LST-563 was grounded on Clipperton Island in the eastern Pacific Ocean, 670 nautical miles (1,241 kilometers) southwest of Mexico, on 21 December 1944 and suffered extensive damage. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to free her, LST-563 was stripped and abandoned on 9 February 1945. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 February 1945.

See also

• List of United States Navy LSTs
• List of United States Navy losses in World War II

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

File:LST-563 on the reef.jpg

LST-563 on the reef at Clipperton Island, December 1944. Photo taken from the USS Argus (PY-14).