USS LST - 494 USS " LST - 494 " was a U . S . Navy amphibious tank landing ship that saw combat during World War II in both the European and Pacific Theaters of War . LST stands for Landing Ship , Tank . Building and Commissioning . USS " LST 494 " s keel was laid down on 10 August 1943 at Evansville , Indiana by Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co . . She was launched on 11 October 1943 and was commissioned on 18 December 1943 . Command of the " 494 " was turned over to Lt . Irving C . Noyes of Colebrook , New Hampshire . LSTs were long , wide with a displacement weight of 1 , 653 tons ( 4 , 080 tons fully loaded ) . They were powered from a Main Engine Room by two General Motors V - 12 engines ( known as GM 567 s ) which were railroad engines adapted to marine use . Their maximum speed was approximately . Additional engines in the Auxiliary Engine Room provided the ships with electricity . LST " 494 " was armed with a 3 inch / 50 cal . gun on her stern ( later replaced with a twin 40 mm gun ) and multiple 40 mm and 20 mm anti - aircraft guns . In the European Theater LST " 494 " carried 6 LCVP s ( Landing Craft Vehicle , Personnel ) , also known as “ Higgins Boats ” , each of which was armed with two . 30 - cal . machine guns . Invasion bound LSTs were manned by a crew of approximately 150 . LST " 494 " was first assigned to the European Theater of War . On 10 March 1944 , she began her journey across the North Atlantic for England along with 71 other ships in Convoy SC 155 . While crossing the Atlantic , LST " 494 " carried on her main deck LCT ( Landing Craft Tank ) 776 . Normandy Campaign . The " 494 " departed Plymouth , England on 5 June 1944 and became part of the largest amphibious force in the history of warfare . On D - Day , 6 June 1944 , she made the initial assault on Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy . The " 494 " landed 378 men of the U . S . Army ` s 26th Infantry Regiment ( known as the " Blue Spaders " from their distinctive spad - shaped regimental emblem ) . The 26th Regiment was part of the 1st Infantry Division . Troops aboard the ship were under the command of Major James B . Carvey . Anti - aircraft fire from the " 494 " helped down a German Messerschmitt over the invasion beachhead . On 6 June LST " 494 " aided the USS LCT " 2037 " that had been hit on her starboard side by enemy fire or a mine and was in danger of sinking . On 7 July , V - 1 “ buzz bombs ” passed over LST " 494 " for many hours . One passed over LST " 494 " . LST " 494 " sailors saw American fighter planes shoot down a number of these aerial bombs . On 10 July LST " 494 " aided 17 officers and 320 men from the Polish cruiser Dragon . The " Dragon " had been torpedoed off the coast of Caen , France by a one man German mini - submarine on 8 July and had to be scuttled . LST " 494 " continued to support the invasion forces through mid - July 1944 , by bringing in reinforcements and by operating as a hospital ship carrying wounded servicemen back to England . During the Normandy campaign , LST " 494 " transported and landed a total of 1 , 420 American and Canadian soldiers along with 577 tanks , trucks and other vehicles . Southern France Campaign . The " 494 " was then ordered to travel through the Straits of Gibraltar for service in the Mediterranean and North Africa . On 12 August 1944 , the " 494 " departed Naples , Italy and joined an allied fleet for the invasion of Southern France . The " 494 " landed troops from the U . S . Army ` s 45th Infantry Division ( " Thunderbird " ) on French soil on 15 August 1944 . Several large German shells hit close to the " 494 " during the invasion , but fortunately missed their mark . During the Southern France campaign , LST " 494 " carried a total of 3 , 318 soldiers along with 717 tanks , trucks and other vehicles . Allied soldiers carried were American , Free French and French Moroccan Goum s “ Gourmiers ” and “ Senegalese fighters . ” Lt . Commander Irving Chester Noyes was a decorated naval officer who saw combat in both the Pacific and European Theaters of War . All of his crew lived to fight another day . Under his command not a single man was lost during the Normandy and Southern France campaigns . Okinawa Campaign . LST " 494 " arrived back in the United States in December 1944 . She was re - fitted in order to serve as a supply ship for small mine craft . She was then assigned to the Asiatic - Pacific Theater of War . Command of the ship was turned over to Lt . Frank Van Deren Coke . After traversing the Panama Canal , the " 494 " left Seattle , Washington on 15 April 1945 for Pearl Harbor , Entiwetok and Guam . The next leg of her journey was to Tinian and Saipan . In June 1945 , she participated in the latter stages of the fierce , kamikaze plagued assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto . The " 494 " performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw China service immediately after the war . Decommissioning . Upon her return to the United States , she was decommissioned on 29 June 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 28 August of that same year . On 12 August 1948 , the 494 was sold to Bosey , Philippines and scrapped . Campaign Medals and Battle Ribbons . The LST " 494 " was awarded the following campaign medals and battle ribbons for her service to her country in two theaters of war : American Campaign Medal and Ribbon ; European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and Ribbon with 2 Battle Stars for the Invasions of Normandy and Southern France ; Asiatic - Pacific Campaign Medal and Ribbon with 1 Battle Star for the assault and occupation of Okinawa - Gunto ; Combat Action Ribbon ; World War II Victory Medal and Ribbon ; Navy Occupation Medal and Ribbon with Asia Clasp ; China Service Medal and Ribbon . In 2004 , LST " 494 " and her crew were awarded the Normandie Medal by the French government for their valiant service during the liberation of France in 1944 .