Concept
HMS LST-422 was a United States Navy that was transferred to the Royal Navy during World War II. As with many of her class, the ship was never named. Instead, she was referred to by her hull designation. LST-422 was laid down on 12 November 1942, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 942, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; launched 10 December 1942; then transferred to the United Kingdom and commissioned on 4 February 1943. LST-422 saw no active service in the United States Navy. The tank landing ship was lost in action while in Royal Navy service 26 January 1944, when she struck a mine off Anzio, Italy. LST-422 was carrying the C and D Companies, and the Headquarters of the US Army's 83rd Chemical Battalion, Motorized and also members of the 68th Coast Guard Artillery Battalion, at the time. She had departed Naples, along with 12 other LSTs, the night of 25 January 1944, with a capacity load of trucks, most likely GMC 21⁄2-ton trucks, jeeps, M3 Half-track, ambulances, and other vehicles. In addition, she was carrying steel barrels of gasoline on her deck, along with a variety of ammunition. The 83rd utilized mortars firing either white phosphorus, smoke, gas, or high explosive shells. LST-422 had arrived off of Anzio, around 01:00, after sailing through deteriorating weather and high, gale force, winds, and set anchor. With waves at and continued gale force winds, the LST was blown into a known mine field located around offshore. At 05:20 an explosion ripped open a hole in the bottom starboard side of the ship, between the main and auxiliary engine rooms, which immediately ignited the ship's fuel oil supply. The tank deck was the first to flood, with most of the men of the 83rd asleep on this deck over 400 men were unable to escape. The vehicles on the tank deck, which were fueled and loaded with ammunition, began to explode, which in turn ignited the gasoline that had been stored on the top deck.