USS ''Targeteer'' was an originally projected as ''LSM-508''. The landing craft was reclassified as ''LSM(R)-508'' in February 1945 and laid down on 31 March 1945 at
Houston, TX
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 ...
, by the
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 ...
Corporation. Launched on 28 April 1945, ''LSM(R)-508'' was commissioned at Houston on 25 June 1945.
Service history
Landing ship medium (rocket), 1945–1947
''LSM(R)-508'' departed Houston on 30 June and arrived at
Galveston, TX
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding G ...
, the same day to begin fitting out. She got underway again on 5 July and arrived at
Charleston, SC, five days later, to receive her rocket launchers and undergo alterations. The landing ship shifted to
Little Creek, VA
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
, on 31 July. During her shakedown, conducted from 1 to 15 August 1945, Japan capitulated, ending the
war in the Pacific
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
.
''LSM(R)-508'' operated out of Little Creek, off the
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America.
In 1610, a supply ship learned of the famine at Jamestown when it ...
, and in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, conducting training there out of
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...
, and
Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, into 1946. Returning to Little Creek on 24 March, the landing ship participated in further local training operations into the summer.
After shifting to
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, in July, for repairs, ''LSM(R)-508'' sailed for Houston in October, transited the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
on 30 November, and arrived at
San Diego, CA
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, soon thereafter, to prepare for inactivation. Decommissioned on 5 February 1947, ''LSM(R)-508'' was placed in reserve at San Diego. She remained inactive for the next 22 years. During this time, she was named ''Gunnison River'' on 1 October 1955.
Drone aircraft catapult control ship, 1960–1969
Apparently slated for disposal in late 1959, ''Gunnison River'' was reinstated on the
Navy list
A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval autho ...
early in 1960 and selected for conversion to a drone aircraft catapult control ship. Accordingly, reclassified to (YV-3) on 26 May 1960, ''Gunnison River'' was renamed ''Targeteer'' on 26 June 1960. Placed "in service" in March 1961, ''Targeteer'' was commissioned on 7 April 1961.
Homeported at San Diego, from 1961 to 1968, ''Targeteer'' operated under the operational control of Commander, Fleet Training Group, San Diego - receiving the necessary upkeep and repairs from Service Group 1. Her primary mission included the launch and recovery of radio controlled drone aircraft and surface drone unit targets, maintained by Utility Unit 3, furnishing simulated "enemy" aircraft and high-speed surface craft exercises. The surface craft ("Firefish", were based on the supposed PT boat attacks on and in the Tonkin Gulf. These surface craft were very fast radio-controlled boats. Dubbed "the world's smallest aircraft carrier," ''Targeteer'' provided these support services for the United States Pacific Fleet into 1968. Her morse-code callsign was "N-T-Q-O" and her communication guard was held by COMTRAPAC Communications (Commander Training Command, US Pacific Fleet), on the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare School (now CENTER), San Diego, (while in port) where ''Targeteer'' tied up.
Decommissioned on 31 December 1968, ''Targeteer'' was struck from the Navy list on 1 January 1969. The former drone aircraft catapult control craft was subsequently sold to the American Ship Dismantling Co., of
Portland, OR
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous cou ...
, on 10 December 1969 and scrapped soon thereafter.
Awards
USS ''Targeteer'' received:
*
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...
*
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
*
World War II Victory Medal
The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945.
The Wor ...
*
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four sp ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Targeteer (YV-3)
Ships built in Houston
LSM(R)-501-class medium landing ships
1945 ships