USS ''Oceanside'' (LSM-175) was one of 558 (a form of

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, a ...

) built for 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 ...

during

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 opposing ...

. Named for the town of Oceanside, California, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. Originally laid down as '' LCT (7)–1675'' on 11 July 1944 at the

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 ...

, she was launched on 3 August 1944, sponsored by Miss Emily V. Jackson; and commissioned on 25 September 1944 as USS ''LSM-175''.

Service history

World War II, 1944–1946

Following a

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

shakedown, ''LSM–175'' departed the east coast, 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 condui ...

, and continued on to

San Diego 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 State ...

, arriving 1 December. From San Diego, she proceeded to San Francisco, then to

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

and the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

. Arriving at

Florida Island The Nggela Islands, also known as the Florida Islands, are a small island group in the Central Province of Solomon Islands, a sovereign state (since 1978) in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The chain is composed of four larger islands and about ...

on 20 February, she trained for her first campaign,

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. She departed the Solomons on 12 March, staged at

Ulithi Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the larges ...

, then steamed west, arriving off the

Hagushi Hagushi bay is located in Yomitan, Okinawa. The bay is at the mouth of Hija River. The north side of the mouth of the river has a public beach called Toguchi Beach. World War II Hagushi bay was the primary unloading point for American suppli ...

beaches on western

on 1 April. As the assault forces streamed ashore, ''LSM–175'' unloaded transport and cargo vessels. At 0910 an enemy aircraft was taken under fire. In the course of the fight anti-aircraft projectiles struck in the LSM's

well deck In traditional nautical use, well decks were decks lower than decks fore and aft, usually at the main deck level, so that breaks appear in the main deck profile, as opposed to a flush deck profile. The term goes back to the days of sail. Late-20 ...

, wounding nine embarked

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

and two " bluejackets". On the 6th, she again turned her guns on an enemy aircraft and assisted in splashing it 600 yards off the starboard bow. On 20 April she got underway for Ulithi, whence she steamed to

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

, arriving on 28 May. For the remainder of the war ''LSM–175'' carried

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...

and mixed cargo to the Marianas and amongst the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, returning to Okinawa in mid-August. Through September she operated in the Philippines and in October shifted to Japan for brief duty with the occupation forces. Arriving in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous ...

on 8 October she sailed for the United States in late November. On 26 December she arrived at San Diego, then, in February 1946 steamed to San Francisco where she decommissioned on 11 July 1946. ''LSM–175'' received one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

for World War II service.

1950–1955

Reactivated four years later, ''LSM–175'' was recommissioned on 8 September 1950. Homeported at San Diego, she trained marines and seabees in amphibious operations. On 30 June 1955 she was transferred to the 11th Naval District. On 30 October 1955 she was decommissioned and placed in service. Disarmed and with a reduced crew, the LSM then took up logistic support of the islands in that district. Homeported at

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

in October 1956, and renamed USS ''Oceanside'' (LSM-175) on 14 October 1959, she served the 11th Naval District until 1 February 1961, when she was placed out of service and struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

Vietnam and Philippine Navy, 1961–1989

The ship was transferred to the custody of South Vietnam on 1 August 1961 to serve in the

Republic of Vietnam Navy The Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVNN; ; ''HQVNCH'') was the naval branch of the South Vietnamese military, the official armed forces of the former Republic of Vietnam (or South Vietnam) from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats fro ...

as RVNS ''Huong Giang'' (HQ-404). After the

fall of Saigon The Fall of Saigon, also known as the Liberation of Saigon by North Vietnamese or Liberation of the South by the Vietnamese government, and known as Black April by anti-communist overseas Vietnamese was the capture of Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, t ...

on 30 April 1975, ''Huong Giang'', under Commander Lương, escaped to the

as part of a flotilla of Vietnam Navy ships under the overall leadership of Navy Captain Khương Hữu Bá. ''Huong Giang'' sailed to

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Sub ...

, where custody was transferred to the Philippines on 17 November 1975. The Philippine Navy renamed her BRP ''Batanes'' (LP65). The ship was disposed of in 1989. Her final fate is unknown.

References

* *

Service history

World War II, 1944–1946

1950–1955

Vietnam and Philippine Navy, 1961–1989

References

See also