Lt. Don Reed--His Photo Album

Dear reader, look below and see the 3 stages in the short life of LST 920 in her service to the U.S. navy during WWII. On top, (stage 1) she is newly minted from the Bethlehem shipyard, at Hingham MA. LST's were turned out at a prodigious rate, about 2 months to build one complete, at the peak of the war. Wendy the welder and her coworkers toiled around the clock for the US navy.

1943:-Aircraft factories had Rosie the Riveter, the shipyards had Wendy the Welder, here are a few taking a lunch break at Hingham yards. Could that be old grannie on the left? Doing her bit for the war effort.

Chimu Wan, Okinawa, January 1946 The day before this picture, 920 was beached between two other LSTs and a cluster of LCTs that were loaded with old ammunition for dumping at sea, when the LCTs exploded. There were almost a dozen fatalities on the other vessels, seven of the 920 crew were hospitalized. 920 suffered bent frames and fires on the main deck and tank deck.

stage 3 this is the end of 920's service to the U.S. Navy. She is pictured in San Francisco bay, look close and you can see the golden gate bridge in the background. Stripped of her armaments and most of her crew, she is about to be decommissioned. Have no regrets, 920 will sail under a different name and flag, for many years. Click the link "still alive" under Don's name on our home page, and read all about it. Oh yes, guess who's still aboard. Lt. Reed, he's the only officer to make the full trip: stages 1-3.