USS LST - 340 USS " LST - 340 " - later known as USS " Spark " ( IX - 196 ) - was a that served with the U . S . Navy during World War II . " LST - 340 " served in the Pacific theatre and , despite suffering severe damage from the enemy , was awarded three battle stars for her action in dangerous areas . She was declared too damaged to return to the States , so she was then reassigned as a barracks ship at Saipan . Laid down in Virginia . The third ship to be so named by the Navy , " Spark " was laid down as " LST - 340 " on 17 July 1942 by the Norfolk Navy Yard , Portsmouth , Virginia ; launched on 8 November 1942 ; and commissioned on 26 December 1942 . World War II service . Assigned to the Pacific theatre . " LST - 340 " held her shakedown cruise in the Chesapeake Bay from 9 January to 3 February 1943 when she returned for a short yard period . She sailed to New York City on the 16th and departed there on 9 March in a convoy which called at Guantanamo Bay on the 16th and sailed the next day for the Panama Canal Zone . She arrived at Coco Solo on 21 March and transited the Panama Canal on the 28th . The LST remained at Balboa until 2 April when she got under way with 11 other LST ' s , comprising LST Flotilla 5 , for the Society Islands . The flotilla arrived at Bora Bora on 24 April and headed for New Caledonia the following week . Solomon Islands operations . " LST - 340 " arrived at Noumea on 11 May and remained there until early June . She loaded army troops and sortied on 6 June with Task Group 32 . 3 for the Solomon Islands . The ship was off Kokum Beach , Guadalcanal , from 9 to 16 June . Severely damaged by aircraft . At approximately 1350 hours on the 16th , she was attacked by nine Japanese dive bombers . Three of the planes attacked the ship immediately , dropping nine bombs in sticks of three . One plane that attacked from the port side registered two near misses with 300 - pound bombs that landed about 50 feet off her starboard side and one direct hit on her main deck . Another attacked from the port bow , strafing the bow guns as it bored in and leaving over 100 holes in her port side . The bomb explosion killed one gun crew member and nine Army passengers , wounded four sailors , and wreaked havoc with the ship itself . All communication and electrical systems were knocked out ; much of the main deck was completely wrecked ; the officer ' s quarters were gutted by fire ; the galley was damaged beyond repair ; there was burning fuel in the engine room ; and there was no water with which to fight the fires . All troop passengers and all of the ship ' s complement , other than gun crews and repair parties , abandoned ship . The LST was beached at Tenaru Beach , and the fires were brought under control four hours later with aid from . " LST - 340 " was towed to Espiritu Santo for what repairs could be made . On 25 October , she sailed for California and a complete yard overhaul . The ship arrived at San Francisco , California , on 24 November 1943 and remained in the yard until April 1944 . Mariana Islands operations . Seaworthy again , " LST - 340 " stood out of San Francisco on 25 April 1944 bound for Hawaii . She arrived at Maalaea Bay on 4 May and was assigned to the Northern Attack Force , Task Force 52 , for the assault on the Mariana Islands . The tank landing ship was moored at West Loch , Pearl Harbor , on 21 May , in the midst of other LST ' s that were loading ammunition for the invasion . At approximately 1505 hours , two LST ' s ( and ) , moored immediately ahead of " LST - 340 " , blew up . The " 340 " was underway and backing down within five minutes and , as she had lines to ships on either side , pulled them to safety as destruction spread among the closely moored ships . When the explosions ceased and the fires were extinguished , six LST ' s and three LCT ' s had been sunk with heavy casualties . Over 160 men had been killed , and almost 400 had been wounded . Tinian operations . " LST - 340 " was off Tinian during the assault on that island . On 21 June , she was unloading trucks and embarking wounded at White Beach # 2 . Heavy rains and high winds whipped the water , and the sea rolled in extremely heavy swells . When the ship attempted to retract from the beach , she was caught by the wind and swells and broached , suffering heavy damage . There was a leak around the starboard shaft , which was five inches out of line ; the auxiliary engine room was leaking and had two feet of water in it ; the main engine room was flooded beyond control ; six other compartments were ruptured ; some compartments were holed through the bottom ; the midships fresh water tanks were punctured ; and the auxiliary engine room had a four - foot coral head protruding up through the bottom about 10 inches . Conversion to barracks ship . The LST was refloated on 13 August and towed to Tanapag Harbor , Saipan . On 15 August , the ship was inspected and found to be damaged beyond repair . Plans were made to convert her into a barracks ship at Tanapag . " LST - 340 " was reclassified as " IX - 196 " and named " Spark " on 20 October 1944 . Post - war decommissioning . " Spark " was decommissioned on 24 October 1944 and struck from the Navy list on 1 September 1945 . Awards . " Spark " received three battle stars for World War II service for her services in the Solomon Islands , Mariana Islands , and at Tinian .