pecifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence-1945)
Displacement 1,625 t.(lt), 4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
Length 328' o.a.
Beam 50'
Draft

(light) - 2' 4" fwd, 7' 6" aft

(sea-going) 8' 3" fwd, 14' 1" aft

(landing) 3' 11" fwd, 9' 10" aft (landing w/500 ton load)
Speed 12 kts. (maximum)
Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons
Complement

7 officers, 104 enlisted
Troop Accommodations

16 officers, 147 enlisted
Boats 2 LCVP
Cargo Capacity (varied with mission - payloads between 1600 and 1900 tons)

Typical loads

One Landing Craft Tank (LCT), tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment and military supplies. A ramp or elevator forward allowed vehicles access to tank deck from main deck

Additional capacity included sectional pontoons carried on each side of vessel amidships, to either build Rhino Barges or use as causeways. Married to the bow ramp, the causeways would enabled payloads to be delivered ashore from deeper water or where a beachhead would not allow the vessel to be grounded forward after ballasting
Armament (varied with availability when each vessel was outfitted. Retro-fitting was accomplished throughout WWII. The ultimate armament design for United States vessels was

2 - Twin 40MM gun mounts w/Mk. 51 directors

4 - Single 40MM gun mounts

12 single 20MM gun mounts
Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders

LST-597 was laid down on 12 July 1944 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 28 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Bernice C. Palmer; and commissioned on 19 September 1944.

 During World War II, LST-597 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following operations:

 Palawan Island landings—March 1945

Visayan Island landings—March and April 1945

Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto—June 1945

 Following the war, LST-597 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early March 1946. Upon her return to the United States, the ship was decommissioned on 5 March 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 29 September 1947. On 31 May 1948, she was sold to the Bethlehem Steel Co., of Bethlehem, Pa., for scrapping.

 LST-597 earned two battle stars for World War II service.