Landing Ship Medium (LSM) were
amphibious assault ship
An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (and, as ...
s of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Of a size between that of
Landing Ships Tank (LST) and
Landing Craft Infantry
The Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) were several classes of landing craft used to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches during the Second World War. They were developed in response to a British request for seagoing amphibious assault ...
(LCI), 558 LSMs were built for the USN between 1944 and 1945. The majority of vessels built on this frame were regular transports, while several dozen were converted during construction to specialized roles. Most LSMs were scrapped during the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, but several were sold by the
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...
to foreign nations or private shipping companies.
''LSM-1''-class Landing Ship Medium (Transport)
List of ''LSM-1''-class ships
In total 558 LSM ships were launched. The following include notable examples:
''LSM(R)-188''-class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
''LSM(R)-401''-class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket)
*
(LSM(R)-401), later reclassified (LFR-401)
*
(LSM(R)-402)
*
(LSM(R)-403)
*
(LSM(R)-404), later reclassified (LFR-404)
*
(LSM(R)-405), later reclassified (LFR-405)
*
(LSM(R)-406)
*
USS ''Chariton River'' (LSM(R)-407)
*
(LSM(R)-408)
*
USS ''Clarion River'' (LSM(R)-409), later reclassified (LFR-409)
*
(LSM(R)-410)
*
(LSM(R)-411)
*
(LSM(R)-412), later reclassified (LFR-412)
''LSM(R)-501''-class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket)
*
(LSM(R)-501), later reclassified (IX-501)
*
(LSM(R)-502)
*
(LSM(R)-503)
*
(LSM(R)-504)
*
(LSM(R)-505)
*
(LSM(R)-506)
*
USS ''Greenbrier River'' (LSM(R)-507)
*
USS ''Gunnison River'' (LSM(R)-508), later reclassified and renamed
USS ''Targeteer'' (YV-3)
*
(LSM(R)-509)
*
(LSM(R)-510)
*
(LSM(R)-511)
*
(LSM(R)-512), later reclassified (LFR-512)
*
(LSM(R)-513), later reclassified (LFR-513)
*
(LSM(R)-514)
*
(LSM(R)-515), later reclassified (LFR-515)
*
(LSM(R)-516)
*
USS ''Pee Dee River'' (LSM(R)-517)
*
(LSM(R)-518)
*
USS ''Powder River'' (LSM(R)-519)
*
(LSM(R)-520)
*
(LSM(R)-521)
*
(LSM(R)-522), later reclassified (LFR-522)
*
(LSM(R)-523)
*
USS ''Saint Croix River'' (LSM(R)-524)
*
USS ''St. Francis River'' (LSM(R)-525), later reclassified (LFR-525)
*
(LSM(R)-526)
*
USS ''St. Joseph's River'' (LSM(R)-527)
*
USS ''St. Mary's River'' (LSM(R)-528)
*
USS ''St. Regis River'' (LSM(R)-529)
*
(LSM(R)-530)
*
(LSM(R)-531), later reclassified (LFR-531)
*
(LSM(R)-532)
*
(LSM(R)-533)
*
(LSM(R)-534)
*
(LSM(R)-535)
*
USS ''White River'' (LSM(R)-536), later reclassified (
LFR-536)
''Gypsy''-class Salvage Lifting Vessels
* , authorized as ''LSM-549''
*
USS ''Mender'' (ARS(D)-2), authorized as ''LSM-550''
*
USS ''Salvager'' (ARS(D)-3), authorized as ''LSM-551'', later reclassified to YMLC-3
*
USS ''Windlass'' (ARS(D)-4), authorized as ''LSM-552'', later reclassified to YMLC-4
Production
dates are launch dates.
[http://shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm]
*
Brown Shipbuilding
The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in Houston, Texas, in 1942 as a subsidiary of Brown and Root (now KBR) by brothers Herman and George R. Brown to build ships for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Brown Shipbuilding Company ranked 68th ...
:
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, TX: 254 (May 1944 - Apr 1946)
** purpose-built yard for the war effort
*
Charleston Navy Yard
Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston.
H ...
,
North Charleston
North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...
, SC: 121 (May 1944 - Nov 1945)
** traditional military yard
*
Dravo Corporation Dravo Corporation was a shipbuilding company with shipyards in Pittsburgh and Wilmington, Delaware. It was founded by Frank and Ralph Dravo in Pittsburgh in 1891. The corporation went public in 1936 and in 1998 it was bought out by Carmeuse for $ ...
,
Wilmington, DE: 65 (Apr 1944 - May 1945)
** purpose-built yard for the war effort
*
Pullman Company
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, IL: 44 (May 1944 - May 1945)
** traditional rail car manufacturer
*
Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was a United States shipyard, active from 1917 to 1948. It was founded during World War I to build ships for the United States Shipping Board. During World War II, it built ships as part of the U.S. Gov ...
,
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
, NJ: 42 (May 1944 - Feb 1945)
** traditional civil and military yard
*
Western Pipe and Steel,
San Pedro, CA: 32 (Aug 1944 - Mar 1945)
** traditional civil yard
Delivery:
* Q2 1944: 74
* Q3 1944: 129
* Q4 1944: 132
* Q1 1945: 111
* Q2 1945: 58
* Q3 1945: 30
* Q4 1945: 15
* 1946: 9
Legacy
One LSM, , survived in its original configuration until around 2010. It was in storage at Marine Station
Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilmingt ...
in
Jacksonville, North Carolina
Jacksonville is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the 14th-largest city in North Carolina. Jacksonville is the county seat and most populous commun ...
. It was slated to become the centerpiece of the Museum of the Marine, but due to changed plans was
scrapped
Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...
between 2010 and 2014.
See also
*
Landing Ship, Infantry
*
Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank
References
* ''LSM-LSMR: WWII Amphibious Forces'', Turner Publishing Co.; Paducah, Kentucky,
* ''
Jane's Fighting Ships
''Jane's Fighting Ships'' by Janes Information Services is an annual reference book of information on all the world's warships arranged by nation, including information on ships' names, dimensions, armaments, silhouettes and photographs, etc. E ...
'', 1980–81
US Navy, ONI 226, Allied Landing Craft and Ships, April 1944
External links
USS LSM/LSMR Association
ibiblio
ibiblio (formerly SunSITE.unc.edu and MetaLab.unc.edu) is a "collection of collections", and hosts a diverse range of publicly available information and open source content, including software, music, literature, art, history, science, politic ...
.org
My Life Aboard the LSM-319 by Eugene Carey''The Navy's Smallest Aircraft Carrier'', July 1958, Popular Mechanics
small article on conversion of LSM-445 to a target drone launching vessel
{{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries
Landing Ship Medium (LSM)
Landing ships of the United States Navy