LST-66 was laid down on 14 August 1942 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched on 16 January 1943; sponsored by Mrs. A. C. Landwehr; and commissioned on 12 April 1943, Lt. Howard E. White, USCG, in command.
During World War II, LST-66 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following operations:
Bismarck Archipelago operation:
(a) Cape Gloucester, New Britain-December 1943, January and February 1944
(b) Admiralty Islands landing-February, March and April 1944
Eastern New Guinea operation:
(a) Saidor occupation-January and February 1944
Hollandia operation-April and May 1944
Western New Guinea operations:
(a) Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area operations-May 1944
(b) Biak Island operation-June 1944
(c) Noemfoor Island operation-July 1944
(d) Cape Sansapor operation-July and August 1944
(e) Morotai landings-September 1944
Leyte landings-October and November 1944
Lingayen landings on Luzon-January 1945
Consolidation of the southern Philippines:
(a) Mindanao Island landings-March 1945
Borneo operations:
(a) Balikpapan operation-July 1945
LST-66 was decommissioned on 26 March 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 1 May 1946. On 7 April 1948, she was sold to the Kaiser Co., Inc., of Seattle, Wash., for scrapping.
LST-66 earned eight battle stars for World War II service as well as the Navy Unit Commendation.
