History
United States
Name	USS LCT-209
Builder	Bison Ship Building Corporation
Laid down	September 1942
Launched	October 1942
Stricken	11 December 1944
Fate	Grounded off Normandy and destroyed
General characteristics
Class and type	LCT (Mark V)
Displacement	286 short tons
Length	114 ft 2 in (34.80 m)
Beam	32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)
Draft	3 ft (0.9 m)
Propulsion	3 × Grey Marine Diesels, 3 propellers, 675 shp/shaft
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h)
Range	700 nmi @ 7 knots (1,300 km @ 13 km/h)
Capacity	Cargo, 150 short tons
Complement	13
Armament	1 × 20 mm AA guns 2 × M2 Browning machine guns
Armor	2.5 inches (6.4 cm), wheelhouse 2 inches (5.1 cm), gun shield

USS LCT-209 was a Landing Craft Tank Mk V built by Bison Shipbuilding of Buffalo NY. The keel was laid in September 1942 and the vessel was launched in October 1942. LCT-209 served as part of Force O-2 at Fox Green sector of Omaha Beach, Normandy, on D-Day, 6 June 1944.

The following is from an action report for that day, supplemented by personal recollections and a history of the 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion:

Three officers and 39 enlisted men of the 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion with 1st Lieutenant Raymond D. French in command boarded at 1145 on 1 June 1944. Sailed from Isle of Portland at 1430 on 5 June 1944. Scheduled to land at Fox Green sector of Omaha Beach at H+90 after firing artillery from 8000 yards off Colleville-sur-Mer in support of the 16th Regimental Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division prior to H hour. Commenced firing 105mm howitzers at 0600.

The landing attempt at 0800 was repelled by enemy fire. The vessel was hit by enemy fire while approaching the beach again at 0940 and retracted with one wounded by shrapnel. The vessel then stood by for an opportunity to beach until 1655. All vehicles and Army personnel landed at 1705. Vessel was also employed removing casualties from the beach.

According to the action report, on D+1 at 1947, LCT-209 towed USS LCT-460 to the beach, assisted in beaching at 2008, retracting, and towing LCT-460 to the LST area. The report continues for four pages through 19 June 1944.

LCT-209 was commanded by A. Hayes. Serving aboard was Navy Ensign Thomas F. O'Shaughnessy Jr. Subsequent reports have LCT-209 lost, grounding, 10 June due to weather and mechanical failure with the crew evacuated. Other reports, however, have her abandoned on 19 June 1944 near shore, with the boat repaired and returned to service, according to an endorsement to her action report. The boat is reported stricken from the Navy Register on 11 December 1944.

Another history, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, lists LCT-209 as destroyed at Salerno, Italy by the explosion of Bushrod Washington ( United States) on 15 September 1943 during the Battle of Salerno.

• "Official Chronology of the US Navy in WWII". Ibiblio. Retrieved 5 September 2013.

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in September 1943
Shipwrecks	3 Sep: I-25 4 Sep: USS LCI(L)-339 5 Sep: USS YP-279 7 Sep: Maloja, Velella 8 Sep: Calitea II, Etna, U-983, Vesuvio 9 Sep: Antonio Bajamonti, Cattaro, Conte Verde, Ermanno Carlotto, FR 22, FR 118, Lepanto, USS Nauset, Roma, Taranto 10 Sep: HMS Abdiel, Argo, Piero Foscari 11 Sep: Conte di Savoia, Giuseppe La Masa, Pegaso, USS Rowan 12 Sep: Ametista, USS Navajo, U-617 13 Sep: Terra Nova 14 Sep: Giuseppe Sirtori, Katsonis, Newfoundland 15 Sep: Ro-101 16 Sep: Heisternest 18 Sep: Francesco Rismondo 19 Sep: Kansai Maru, U-341 20 Sep: HMCS St. Croix, U-338, U-346 21 Sep: HMS Polyanthus 22 Sep: U-229 23 Sep: Gaetano Donizetti 24 Sep: Francesco Stocco 25 Sep: Giuseppe Sirtori, USS Skill 26 Sep: HMS Intrepid, Vasilissa Olga 27 Sep: Ardena, Enrico Cosenz, U-161, U-221 28 Sep: USS Cisco 30 Sep: Sanct Svithun Unknown date: HMS Gallant, USS Grayling, I-20, I-182, USS LCT-209, K-1, USS Pompano, Sebastiano Caboto, U-669
Other incidents	7 Sep: U-760 8 Sep: USS Bluefish, U-988 9 Sep: Giuseppe Finzi, USS Peto 10 Sep: I-2 11 Sep: USS Savannah 13 Sep: HMHS Newfoundland, HMS Uganda 14 Sep: HMS Warspite 16 Sep: USS Pompon 19 Sep: Tango Maru 23 Sep: Kulmerland 25 Sep: Enrico Cosenz
1942 1943 1944 August 1943 October 1943

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in June 1944
Shipwrecks	1 Jun: USS Herring 3 Jun: U-477, WBS 2 Coburg 5 Jun: V 622 Almuth, USS Osprey 6 Jun: USS Corry, USS LCI(L)-93, Minazuki, USS PC-1261, HNoMS Svenner, V 421 Rauzan, HMS Wrestler 7 Jun: HMS Centurion, Empire Defiance, Hayanami, USS Susan B. Anthony, USS Tide, U-629, U-955 8 Jun: Audacious, Harusame, James Iredell, Kazagumo, HMS Lawford, USS Rich, U-373, U-441, U-970, West Grama 9 Jun: Courbet, Dover Hill, HMS Durban, Empire Bunting, Empire Flamingo, Matsukaze, USS Meredith, HNLMS Sumatra, Tanikaze, Z32, ZH1 10 Jun: USS Glennon, Innsbruck, Mistral, Ro-111, U-821 11 Jun: USS Partridge, Ro-42, U-980 12 Jun: Kainan Maru, HMS Sickle, U-490, V 206 Otto Bröhan, V 212 Friedrich Busse 13 Jun: HMS Boadicea, I-33, Ro-36, U-715 14 Jun: USS Golet 15 Jun: HMS Blackwood, M 507, PA 1, PA 2, Shiratsuyu, U-860, U-987, V 202 Franz Westermann 16 Jun: I-6, Ro-44, U-998 17 Jun: Ro-114, Ro-117 18 Jun: Albert C. Field, U-767 19 Jun: I-184, Shōkaku, Taihō 20 Jun: Hiyō, HMAS Matafele 21 Jun: Bolzano, HMS Fury 22 Jun: Eurydice, I-185, Sirène 24 Jun: Derrycunihy, I-52, U-971, U-1225 25 Jun: U-269 26 Jun: Aquileia, U-317, U-719, Harugiku Maru 27 Jun: Kizugawa Maru 28 Jun: V 213 Claus Bolten, Kondor, Nerissa 29 Jun: Toyama Maru, Tsugaru, U-988, USS Valor 30 Jun: SS Nikkin Maru, U-478, V 422 Kergroise Unknown date: Bosna, USS LCT-209, U-740
Other incidents	7 Jun: USS Meredith 11 Jun: HMS Halsted 16 Jun: U-998 18 Jun: USS Hawkbill 23 Jun: HMS Scylla 25 Jun: HMS Glasgow, HMS Goodson 26 Jun: Gorizia Unknown date: HMS Sickle, Sonderburg
1943 1944 1945 May 1944 July 1944