Landing Ship Medium

A Landing Ship Medium (LSM) was originally an amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy in World War II. Of a size between that of Landing Ships Tank and Landing Craft Infantry, 558 LSMs were built for the USN between 1944 and 1945. Most of the vessels built on this frame were regular transports, but several dozen were converted during construction to specialized roles. Most LSMs were scrapped during the Cold War, but several were sold by the United States Department of Defense to foreign nations or private shipping companies. OPNAV N95 established a new LSM program in 2020. The new LSM will be 350 to 400 feet (110 to 120 m) long, able to operate at 22 knots and have a range of 6,500 miles (10,500 km). The cost will be much lower than traditional amphibious shipping, according to a story in the March 2023 Marine Corps Gazette. The piece suggests that a MLR (Marine Littoral Regiment) would need nine LSMs. The lead ship of the new class is LSM-1 USS McClung. LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium (Transport) List of LSM-1-class ships In total, 558 LSM ships were launched. Some notable examples include: LSM(R)-188-class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket) LSM(R)-401-class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket) USS Big Black River (LSM(R)-401), later reclassified (LFR-401) USS Big Horn River (LSM(R)-402) USS Blackstone River (LSM(R)-403) USS Black Warrior River (LSM(R)-404), later reclassified (LFR-404) USS Broadkill River (LSM(R)-405), later reclassified (LFR-405) USS Canadian River (LSM(R)-406) USS Chariton River (LSM(R)-407) USS Charles River (LSM(R)-408) USS Clarion River (LSM(R)-409), later reclassified (LFR-409) USS Clark Fork River (LSM(R)-410) USS Cumberland River (LSM(R)-411) USS Desplaines River (LSM(R)-412), later reclassified (LFR-412) LSM(R)-501-class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket) USS Elk River (LSM(R)-501), later reclassified (IX-501) USS Escalanteo River (LSM(R)-502) USS Flambeau River (LSM(R)-503) USS Gila River (LSM(R)-504) USS Grand River (LSM(R)-505) USS Green River (LSM(R)-506) USS Greenbrier River (LSM(R)-507) USS Gunnison River (LSM(R)-508), later reclassified and renamed USS Targeteer (YV-3) USS Holston River (LSM(R)-509) USS James River (LSM(R)-510) USS John Day River (LSM(R)-511) USS Lamiolle River (LSM(R)-512), later reclassified (LFR-512) USS Laramie River (LSM(R)-513), later reclassified (LFR-513) USS Maurice River (LSM(R)-514) USS Owyhee River (LSM(R)-515), later reclassified (LFR-515) USS Pearl River (LSM(R)-516) USS Pee Dee River (LSM(R)-517) USS Pit River (LSM(R)-518) USS Powder River (LSM(R)-519) USS Raccoon River (LSM(R)-520) USS Rainy River (LSM(R)-521) USS Red River (LSM(R)-522), later reclassified (LFR-522) USS Republican River (LSM(R)-523) USS Saint Croix River (LSM(R)-524) USS St. Francis River (LSM(R)-525), later reclassified (LFR-525) USS St. Johns River (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) USS Salmon Falls River (LSM(R)-530) USS Smoky Hill River (LSM(R)-531), later reclassified (LFR-531) USS Smyrna River (LSM(R)-532) USS Snake River (LSM(R)-533) USS Thames River (LSM(R)-534) USS Trinity River (LSM(R)-535) USS White River (LSM(R)-536), later reclassified (LFR-536) Gypsy-class salvage lifting vessels USS Gypsy (ARS(D)-1), 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. Brown Shipbuilding: Houston, TX: 254 (May 1944 - Apr 1946) purpose-built yard for the war effort Charleston Navy Yard, North Charleston, SC: 121 (May 1944 - Nov 1945) traditional military yard Dravo Corporation, Wilmington, DE: 65 (Apr 1944 - May 1945) purpose-built yard for the war effort Pullman Company, Chicago, IL: 44 (May 1944 - May 1945) traditional rail car manufacturer Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newark, 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, USS LSM-45, survived in its original configuration until around 2010. It was in storage at Marine Station Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. It was slated to become the centerpiece of the Museum of the Marine, but due to changed plans, was scrapped between 2010 and 2014. Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) As of February 2023 the US Marine Corps has proposed the purchase of 18 to 35 modern LSMs; this LSM concept was previously known as the Light Amphibious Warship (LAW). See also List of United States Navy Landing Ship Mediums Landing Ship, Infantry Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank References LSM-LSMR: WWII Amphibious Forces, Turner Publishing Co.; Paducah, Kentucky, ISBN 1-56311-140-3 Jane's Fighting Ships, 1980–81 US Navy, ONI 226, Allied Landing Craft and Ships, April 1944 External links USS LSM/LSMR Association NavSource Photo Archives Landing Ships ibiblio.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