TOKUSETSU-YUSOKAN !

Stories and Battle Histories of the IJN's T.103 Class Landing Ship Tanks (LST)

1 September 2018

By Bob Hackett

Discussion & Questions

(IJN LST T.101 by Takeshi Yuki)

Built under the Japanese 1943 Program, the design for the 950-ton Landing Ship Tanks (LST) may have been supplied by Germany and based an American-built British LST used in North Africa. The Class could be constructed in 90 days using mass production techniques such as pre-fabricated parts and electric welding. The class were unstable in heavy seas. The design featured a bow door and the bow was fitted with a double skeg. The class was equipped with AA guns, depth charges and radar.

The Type T.103's were turbine powered, but the Type T.101's were diesel powered. Otherwise, structurally, the Type T.101s and Type T.103s were identical except that the Type T.101s had more room for troops and cargo because they had no need for boiler rooms. The Type T.103s were officially known as Type SBT (Turbine) and the T.101s as as Type SBD (Diesel).

In 1943, the IJN ordered 86 units of the Type T.103 and Type T.101-class. Twenty-eight turbine-powered SBTs were allotted to the Army, but the Army was unhappy with them and later returned nine to the Navy. After the war, most surviving Japanese LSTs were assigned to the Allied Repatriation service and used for that duty. Later, several were ceded to Allied powers and others were scrapped.

Tabular Records of Movement (TROMs):
T.103 Class Landing Ship Tank

Specification Summary

Landing Ship Tank T.103
(posted 1 June 2014)
Landing Ship Tank T.104
(posted 1 June 2014)
Landing Ship Tank T.105
(posted 1 July 2014)
Landing Ship Tank T.106
(posted 1 August 2014)
Landing Ship Tank T.107
(posted 1 September 2014)
Landing Ship Tank T.108
(posted 1 October 2014)
Landing Ship Tank T.110
(posted 1 November 2014)
Landing Ship Tank T.111
(posted 1 December 2014)
Landing Ship Tank T.112
(posted 1 June 2015)
Landing Ship Tank T.113
(posted 1 August 2016)
Landing Ship Tank T.114
(posted 1 August 2016)
Landing Ship Tank T.115
(posted 1 Sepember 2016)
 Landing Ship Tank T.129
(posted 1 Sepember 2016)
Landing Ship Tank T.130
(posted 1 December 2016)
Landing Ship Tank T.131
(posted 1 December 2016)
Landing Ship Tank T.132
(posted 1 December 2016)
Landing Ship Tank T.133
(posted 1 January 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.134
(posted 1 February 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.135
(revised 1 November 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.136
(revised 1 May 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.137
(posted 1 May 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.138
(posted 1 June 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.139
(posted 1 July 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.140
(posted 1 August 2017)
 Landing Ship Tank T.141
(posted 1 Sepember 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.142
(posted 1 October 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.143
(posted 1 November 2017)
Landing Ship Tank T.144
(revised 1 March 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.145
(posted 1 January 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.146
(posted 1 February 2018)
 Landing Ship Tank T.147
(posted 1 March 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.151
(posted 1 April 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.152
(posted 1 May 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.153
(revised 1 September 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.154
(posted 1 June 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.157
(posted 1 July 2018)
 Landing Ship Tank T.158
(posted 1 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.159
(revised 27 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.160
(posted 27 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.161
(posted 1 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.164
(posted 1 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.165
(posted 1 July 2018)		 Landing Ship Tank T.172
(posted 27 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.173
(posted 27 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.174
(posted 27 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.175
(posted 27 July 2018)
Landing Ship Tank T.176
(posted 27 July 2018)

About the Author

Bob Hackett is a military historian and researcher. Retired from the United States Air Force and later from the aerospace industry, he resides in Florida.

Questions concerning these TROMs should be posted on the Discussion and Questions board.