USS LST-521

For the cargo ship and troop transport USS Cape May, see USS Cape May (ID-3520).

USS Cape May County (LST-521) was an LST-491-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Cape May County, New Jersey, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

History
United States
Name	USS LST-521
Namesake	Cape May County
Builder	Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Seneca, Illinois
Laid down	4 October 1943
Launched	13 December 1943
Commissioned	3 January 1944
Decommissioned	21 October 1945
Renamed	USS Cape May County (LST-521), 1 July 1955
Stricken	1 November 1959
Honors and awards	1 battle star (World War II)
Fate	Stricken 1 November 1959
General characteristics
Class and type	LST-491-class tank landing ship
Displacement	1,625 long tons (1,651 t) light 3,640 long tons (3,698 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	Two LCVPs
Troops	approx. 130 officers and enlisted
Complement	8–10 officers, 89–100 enlisted men
Armament	1 × single 3-inch/50-caliber gun mount 8 × 40 mm gun 12 × 20 mm guns

LST-521 was laid down on 4 October 1943 at Seneca, Illinois by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company; launched on 13 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Ruth Sexton; and commissioned on 9 February 1944.

During World War II, USS LST-521 was assigned to the European Theater and participated in the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Upon her return to the United States, she was decommissioned on 21 October 1945.

Later reactivated (date unknown), assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) and placed in service as USNS T-LST-521, the tank landing ship was placed out of service (date unknown) and redesignated USS Cape May County (LST-521) on 1 July 1955. The ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 November 1959.

LST-521 earned one battle star for World War II service.

The ship was later sold privately and converted to a general cargo ship. It was named Cal-Argo (Honduran flag) in 1963, and Terry P in 1965. It was sold to the Indonesian government in 1966 and renamed Banten and later Teluk Banten.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• "LST-521". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
• "LST-521 Cape May County". Amphibious Photo Archive. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
• Silverstone, Paul (2009), The Navy of the Nuclear Age, 1947-2007, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-97899-6

See also

• List of United States Navy LSTs

LST-521, LSM-297 and Krishna (ARL-38) during "Operation Blue Jay" (the construction of Thule Air Force Base in Greenland, c. 1950.