USS LST-494 - Normandy Campaign

Normandy Campaign

The 494 departed Plymouth, England on 5 June 1944 and became part of the largest amphibious force in the history of warfare. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, she made the initial assault on Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy. The 494 landed 378 men of the U.S. Army`s 26th Infantry Regiment (known as the "Blue Spaders" from their distinctive spad-shaped regimental emblem). The 26th Regiment was part of the 1st Infantry Division. Troops aboard the ship were under the command of Major James B. Carvey. Anti-aircraft fire from the 494 helped down a German Messerschmitt over the invasion beachhead. On 6 June LST 494 aided the USS LCT 2037 that had been hit on her starboard side by enemy fire or a mine and was in danger of sinking. On 7 July, V-1 “buzz bombs” passed over LST 494 for many hours. One passed 300 feet (91 m) over LST 494. LST 494 sailors saw American fighter planes shoot down a number of these aerial bombs. On 10 July LST 494 aided 17 officers and 320 men from the Polish cruiser Dragon. The Dragon had been torpedoed off the coast of Caen, France by a one man German mini-submarine on 8 July and had to be scuttled. LST 494 continued to support the invasion forces through mid-July 1944, by bringing in reinforcements and by operating as a hospital ship carrying wounded servicemen back to England. During the Normandy campaign, LST 494 transported and landed a total of 1,420 American and Canadian soldiers along with 577 tanks, trucks and other vehicles.