 USS LST-340 (USS Spark) stranded on "White Beach" c. July 1944
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Spark and USS LST-340 |
| Builder | Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia |
| Laid down | 17 July 1942 as LST-340 |
| Launched | 8 November 1942 |
| Commissioned | 26 December 1942, as USS LST-340 |
| Decommissioned | 24 October 1944 |
| Renamed | Spark (IX-196), 20 October 1944 |
| Reclassified | as Miscellaneous Unclassified, 20 October 1944 |
| Stricken | 1 September 1945 |
| Honors and awards | 3 battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate | Unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | LST-1-class tank landing ship |
| Tonnage | 1,625 long tons (1,651 t) |
| Displacement | 4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full |
| Length | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft | 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 × General Motors 12-567 900 hp (671 kW) diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders |
| Speed | 11.6 knots (21.5 km/h; 13.3 mph) |
| Endurance | 24,000 nmi (44,000 km) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) while displacing 3960 tons |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 LCVPs |
| Capacity | between 1600 and 1900 tons |
| Troops | 16 officers, 147 enlisted |
| Complement | 7 officers, 104 enlisted |
| Armament | |
USS LST-340 - later known as USS Spark (IX-196) - was a LST-1-class tank landing ship 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 United States, so she was then reassigned as a barracks ship at Saipan.