Wreck of USS LST-480

USA / Hawaii / Iroquois Point /
 Second World War 1939-1945, military, explosion site, shipwreck, Landing Ship Tank (LST), United States Navy
On May 21, 1944, this is where 29 tank landing ships (LSTs) prepared for a major battle during World War II. The United States was planning a massive attack on Saipan. Sailors and Marines hustled to load the LSTs and prepare for war. It was to be the D-Day of the Pacific.

But something went wrong. Amidst the loading of ordnance, hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel, trucks and small arms, one of the LSTs exploded for a reason never definitively determined.

Quickly, a chain reaction of explosions dealt flaming shards of steel into the air. Thick black smoke billowed into the air, while oil slicks crept across the water. The Sailors and Marines scattered. Some attempted in vain to put out the growing number of fires. Others tried to save themselves and their shipmates. Their mission was complicated by debris in the water that fowled rescue boat’s engines. Once again, Pearl Harbor was in a panic.

In all, six LSTs were sunk, and several severely damaged. Dead were 163 men, and 396 were wounded.

The events which would become known as the West Loch Disaster were quickly veiled in secrecy so as not to compromise the U.S. operations in the ongoing war. The attack, however, was delayed only by one day and was a major catalyst leading to the surrender of the Japanese. Unfortunately, many Pearl Harbor shipmates could not be a part of the attack.

Today, the West Loch Disaster serves as a reminder to the Sailors working at Naval Magazine of just how important and how dangerous their job can be. While the ships are different, the mission is very much the same. Arm the fleet.

Just across from Naval Magazine is the bow of LST 480. Rusted and wrecked, she is the only remaining visible evidence of the heroic actions and mournful loss of life during Pearl Harbor’s second disaster.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Loch_Disaster
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   21°21'26"N   157°59'49"W

Comments

  • http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160480.htm http://www.nps.gov/archive/usar/scrs/scrs2z.htm
  • How do I get a list of men that were on the LST 480 ? my dad was on that ship
This article was last modified 12 years ago