USS LST-21 was a United States Navy used primarily in the Europe–Africa–Middle East Theater during World War II, but also transported British forces from Calcutta and landed them at Regu Beach, Burma.
Construction and commissioning LST-21 was laid down on 25 September 1942, at Wilmington, Delaware, by the Dravo Corporation. She was launched on 18 February 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Lillian M. Lloyd; and commissioned on 14 April 1943.
Service history During the war, LST-21 was crewed by the United States Coast Guard. She served primarily in the Europe–Africa–Middle East Theater from August 1943 until January 1946, but also transported British forces from Calcutta, India, and landed them as Regu Beach, Burma.
1943 convoy duty On 27 July 1943, LST-21 set sail from Little Creek, Virginia, for foreign waters. On the evening of 13 August 1943, the ship passed through Gibraltar and early in the afternoon of 14 August 1943, landed in Oran, Algeria. The trip was made without incident although there were three general quarters during the passage: (1) Once when destroyers were seen dropping charges and lighted buoys to mark the point of contact; (2) when another escort dropped charges; and (3) when an escort fired her cannon.Personal Log of LTJG F.X. Moffitt
Italian campaign On 11 September 1943, LST-21 set sail for Oran, Algeria, in company with , , , , , , , LST-209, and , and , , , , , , and , for a rendezvous with Convoy KMS 25. This group of LSTs carried landing craft tanks (LCTs) on deck for delivery at destination.
After passing Algiers, the entire contingent of LSTs was ordered at 15:00 to return immediately to Algiers. At 20:24 LST-21 anchored off the harbor. At 11:30, 14 September, LST-21 entered the harbor where the LCT was removed. At 19:00 that evening, LST-21 set sail as flagship, under Commander W. S. Blair, for Syracuse, Sicily; in company with six LSTs. Off the Gulf of Tunis the group was ordered to return to Bizerte, Tunisia.Report of USS LST-21 to Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet
LST-21 arrived in Bizerte at 16:30, 16 September, and proceeded to Carouba Docks where 63 British trucks and officers and men of a Transportation Unit of the British 8th Army were loaded. At 22:00 on 17 September, LST-21 departed from Bizerte for Taranto, Italy, as the flagship in company with LST-25, LST-72, LST-175, LST-261, and HMS LST-214. Their escort was the British destroyer . They arrived without incident at Taranto at 09:00, 20 September, and discharged their cargo. At 23:00 they got underway for Crotone, Italy, arriving at that port at 08:30, 21 September.Report of USS LST-21 to Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet
At 20:00, 21 September, they sailed for Catania, Sicily, with an additional unit . The Group arrived at Catania at 13:25, on 22 September. All units began loading vehicles. LST-21 took aboard all vehicles and officers and men. At 19:30, 22 September, they departed for Bizerte in company with LST-61, LST-175, LST-261, and HMS LST-214, with Cuckmere as their escort. On the morning of 24 September, they entered Bizerte harbor and discharged their cargo. At 12:30 they began loading 71 vehicles and 178 officers and men of the King's Royal Rifles.Report of USS LST-21 to Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet
At 20:00, LST-21 got underway and proceeded in company with LST-214 for Catania without escort. At 08:00, 27 September, they arrived at Catania and anchored awaiting further orders. At 12:00, they got underway for Taranto, Italy. At 08:30, 28 September, they arrived at Taranto and discharged their cargo during the morning. On 29 September, they took aboard 27 tanks and 18 vehicles as well as 184 officers and men of the 5th and 12th Canadian Transport Regiments. At 05:30, 30 September, they sailed for Barletta, Italy, in company with LST-175, LST-214, and LST-261, with minesweeper for escort.Report of USS LST-21 to Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet
The group arrived off of Barletta on 1 October, at 13:00. They heaved to off the harbor and were boarded by British Naval Officers in Charge, who instructed them to proceed to Manfredonia to discharge the cargo. At 14:30, they got underway for Manfredonia staying well inshore to avoid the unswept minefields off the coast. At 17:00 they entered Manfredonia harbor and discharged their tanks. She was the first ship to land tanks on the Adriatic coast.Report of USS LST-21 to Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet
On 2 October, they departed Manfredonia, proceeded south along the Italian Coast and anchored at 18:00 in Brindisi Harbor. At 15:40 on 3 October, they departed Brindisi Harbor as additional escort for SS Ocean Vesper and proceeded toward Taranto. At 15:20, they arrived at Taranto and anchored in the outer harbor. At 18:00 LST-21 in company with and in command of LST-175, LST-214, and LST-261, departed Taranto for Algiers, Algeria, without escort. On 8 October, the Group arrived at Algiers at 21:15.Report of USS LST-21 to Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet
Tank landing at Regu Beach Burma LST-21 sailed from Algiers, Algeria, to Port Said, Egypt, in October 1943, this time joining with Convoy UGS 19. She left 11 November, for Colombo, British Ceylon, arriving on 16 November, with Convoy BM 74.
On 1 December 1943, LST-21 was at Calcutta, India, on detached duty with the British Eastern Fleet. Embarking officers and men of the 15th Indian Corps as well as 13 "Lee" medium tanks, she was underway on 3 December, rendezvousing with LST-25 on 4 December, under escort of two Royal Indian Navy launches, with one B-24 Liberator and four Spitfires as aerial escorts. On 5 December, an air raid was reported but she beached at her destination without incident. At 22:30 on 5 December, she disembarked tanks at Regu Beach, Burma, and returned to Calcutta on 8 December 1943. This was the first American vessel to take the offensive in these waters in World War II.
At the end of December she left Calcutta, as part of Convoy CJ 9A, with 11 LSTs headed for Colombo, arriving 27 December 1943.
1944 convoy duty from Africa to United Kingdom
LST-21 joined Convoy MKS 38 at Bizerta, Tunisia, in January 1944, as it was en route to Gibraltar, arriving 1 February. Forming Convoy MKS 38G she rendezvoused with Convoy SL 147 and sailed for Liverpool on 2 February, arriving on 13 February 1944.
On 28 January 1944, LST-21 got underway from Bizerte to join a convoy leaving the Mediterranean for England. They were noted to have air coverage as a protection against glider bombs. On January 31, an oceangoing tug out of Oran came alongside each ship in the group to deliver charts for the approaches to Plymouth, England, as they had left Bizerte without such charts. Later that day, LST-21 learned that its ultimate destination had been changed to Milford Haven, Wales.Personal Log of LTJG F.X. Moffitt
On 1 February 1944, LST-21 sailed past Alboran Island and at 18:30 passed through the Straits of Gibraltar. The convoy continued heading west until they were over off the coast of Spain and then headed north. They sailed without incident until 5 February, when, at 09:30, one of the destroyer escorts let go with a white flare and started screening the starboard side of the convoy with a smokescreen. At 12:22, they sighted an unidentified aircraft dead ahead and high. An escort ahead opened fire and it soon disappeared into the clouds. The convoy presumed they were spotted.Personal Log of LTJG F.X. Moffitt
On 7 February 1944, at 08:25, an escort off of the starboard beam hoisted the black pennant and dropped a depth charge. At 09:00, two British aircraft carriers and seven sloops as escorts rendezvoused with the convoy. At 12:55, an escort ahead indicated an underwater contact and, at 13:02, dropped five depth charges in quick succession. LST-21 went to General Quarters but the escort later gave up the search. At 13:23, an escort astern indicated contact but continued with the convoy after a brief delay. At 15;10 another escort on the starboard bow made a contact and ran alongside the starboard side of the convoy and, at 15:13 dropped one depth charge. Another escort joined the search, but a few minutes later they gave up the search and took station with the convoy. It was determined that they had run into a "wolf pack" of German U-boats.Personal Log of LTJG F.X. Moffitt
At daybreak on 8 February 1944, planes from the escort carriers were covering the convoy. At 13:00, the convoy changed course and started the last leg of the route toward the British Isles. At 19:30, fog set in and all ships were out of sight of LST-21 which turned on navigation lights and sounded whistle to avoid collision. At 8:45, the fog lifted and at 24:00 the convoy executed an emergency turn to starboard. On 9 February, at 00:35, the convoy resumed it course. At 01:13, they received a radio message that a submarine, , was sunk off the port side of the convoy. At 08:11, the convoy executed an emergency turn of 45 degrees to port, and at 08:40 resumed course. At 10:10, an escort on the starboard bow indicated a contact. LST-21s radioman tuned into an extra receiver on the escorts' and the planes' frequency and the officers and crew in LST-21s wheelhouse listened in on their communications. At approximately 11:00, a plane reported a sub on the surface bearing 150 degrees. The pilot kept repeating this to the Escort Commander, until the reply came back: "Stop telling us about it and get the 'bowstud.'" A few minutes later, the plane reported back: "One down. One down." At 12:14, all ships received a message from the convoy commander confirming the sinking of the second submarine. The weather was thick and visibility only about a mile and a half. At 16:45, they received another message from the Commodore confirming the sinking of a third submarine. The escorts and planes were noted to be having a difficult time with communications due to all of the contacts, real or imagined.Personal log of LTJG F. X. Moffitt
On 10 February 1944, soon after daybreak, the Convoy Commodore sent out another message to all ships announcing that a fourth submarine had been sunk during the night. At 08:30, all LSTs were detached from the main convoy and they headed east to make land. LST-215, with Commander Owles, R.N., was flagship. On 11 February, LST-21 and the other LSTs of Commander William Blair's group (except LST-72 and LST-261 which remained in Oran for repairs) were detached off the southwest coast of Ireland and given one escort. Other LSTs proceeded up the west coast of Ireland for eventual destination of Scapa Flow.Personal Log of LTJG F.X. Moffitt
Because of the change in destination from Plymouth to Milford Haven, and thus having no charts of the south coast of Ireland, LST-21s navigation officer took a plotting sheet and drew in the mineswept channel and the lights were plotted in by taking their position from the Admiralty list of lights. With that as a chart, they proceeded through the mineswept channel. At 14:55, the escort reported unidentified aircraft and fired its anti-aircraft guns. LST-21 went to General Quarters.Personal log of LTJG F. X. Moffitt
On 12 February 1944, at 09:00 LST-21 entered Milford Haven and at 09:40 moored off the town of Milford following what was described as a rough and tiring trip.Personal log of LTJG F. X. Moffitt
Pre-Normandy Invasion activity in Wales, England and Northern Ireland