USS LSM ( R ) - 188 USS " LSM ( R ) - 188 " was the lead ship of her class of twelve Landing Ship Medium ( Rocket ) of the United States Navy during World War II , which took part in the Battle of Okinawa . Lt . Harry C . Crist , USNR , in command . The interim group of 12 LSM ( R ) s transited the Panama Canal and via San Diego , Honolulu , and the Philippines , headed for battle against Japan in March 1945 . Unaware of their destination , the crews were nonetheless well equipped and trained . In a preliminary assault on 26 March 1945 , they laid down a rocket barrage at dawn on Kerama Retta , a small cluster of islands off the southwestern shore of Okinawa , to allow US Marines to land and secure the islands and the harbor for protection of the hospital , supply and communication ships , and floating drydocks . The early dawn assault surprised the Japanese ; the marines took control with a minimum of casualties and established this haven for damaged ships . Service History ( Turner ) . During World War II LSM ( R ) 188 was assigned to the Asiatic Pacific theater . At that time the fleet was under the command of Admiral Spruance and named the Fifth fleet . Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner was Commander of Amphibious Forces Pacific and was to be in charge of operations until the beachhead was established . The Kerama Retto islands were a small chain of islands 15 miles west of the southwest tip of Okinawa . The invasion of the Kerma Retto was an opportunity to break in all twelve of the 188 - class LSM ( R ) s . One of the reasons that Admiral Turner wanted to capture Kerama Retto was his knowledge that the Japanese Sea Raiding Units had suicide boats hidden there . On the morning of 29 March three of these boats attacked the but were promptly destroyed . The northern half of the six - mile - wide invasion beach was assigned to Task Force 53 , under the command of Rear Admiral Lawrence F . Reifsnider . The LSMR ' s involved in the invasion on 1 April 1945 as part of the Northern Tractor Flotilla included , , , , , and . The southern half of the six - mile - wide invasion beach was assigned to Task Force 55 , commanded by Rear Admiral John Leslie Hall , Jr . The assault troops were under Major General John R . Hodge . The southern support craft included , , , , and . On 3 May 1945 the Japanese launched their fifth kikusui attack . Picket station 10 was the hardest hit . Shortly before dusk , the destroyer was hit by a series of six kamikazes , suffering 45 killed or missing and 49 wounded . The ship survived , but was later decommissioned because it wasn ' t worth repairing . About the same time , approximately 20 planes attacked destroyer . She was crashed by four of them and sank within 12 minutes of the first hit . She lost 30 dead or missing and 79 wounded . " LSM ( R ) - 195 " was also on Picket Station 10 and while rushing to the aid of the " Aaron Ward " and the " Little " was likewise crashed by a kamikaze . The crash started her rockets exploding and knocked out the fire main and auxiliary pumps . " LSM - 195 " had to be abandoned and , after being ripped by heavy explosions , sank . On 4 May " LSM ( R ) - 190 " was patrolling at Picket Station 12 . Not long after sunrise the anticipated kamikazes arrived and were met by American combat air patrol . Several of the Japanese planes managed to get through and attack the ships on this station . Three kamikazes crashed " LSM ( R ) - 190 " . The ship that had seen so much previous action and had been credited with rescuing 180 survivors of other stricken ships was herself sunk . In the same attack the destroyer was sunk , carrying 126 of her 312 officers and men with her . At the same time as " LSM ( R ) - 190 " was fighting her final battle , " LSM ( R ) - 194 " was facing the same fate at Picket Station 1 . This was the most critical station on the picket line . The capture of the Kerama Islands did not come without a price . On the night of 28 March , Japanese planes from Okinawa airfields made a special attack on the small patrol craft assembled between the islands and Okinawa . About a dozen were shot down , but one crashed into " LSM ( R ) - 188 " . There were 15 men killed and another 32 wounded . The badly damaged ship survived , but she was sent back to Pearl Harbor and saw no further combat . The Okinawa Radar Picket Line ( C . T . G . 52 . 21 ) . The American plan for defense against the kamikazes was to have fighters intercept the Japanese as early as possible . Sixteen radar picket stations were established around the island , in some cases almost 100 miles out , to give early warning of the Japanese planes which might be coming from any direction . Each station was manned around the clock by a handful of ships ranging from destroyers down to minesweepers . Their job was to sound the alarm and vector fighters to intercept before the Japanese could attack the fleet anchored off Okinawa and the Allied forces and supply dumps ashore . Unfortunately , some of the eager - to - die Japanese wanted to attack the first American ships they saw : the pickets . Dennis L . Francis LSM Commander , Flotilla Nine for the period 2 – 20 April , Action Report indicated that . . . " these ships are not particularly suited for picket duty . Since their primary function is to deliver rockets during invasion operations , it seems feasible that subjecting them to continual enemy air attack will allow this secondary duty to seriously affect their ability to perform their primary function due to damage . They have no great value in combating enemy air craft due to the absence of air search radar , adequate director control for the 5 " / 38 main battery , and director control for the 40mm single guns . The fact that they carry a considerable quantity of explosive rockets in their magazines presents another hazard . In general , it is believed that assigning them to picket duty should be avoided since it means risking the operation of a limited number of specialized ships which could be performed by any number of other landing craft whose primary function is more closely coincident with screening operations . " Before these recommendations were implemented the " LSM ( R ) - 195 " was sunk on 3 May 1945 with 9 killed and 16 wounded , " LSM ( R ) - 190 " was sunk on 4 May 1945 with 13 killed and 18 wounded , the " LSM ( R ) - 194 " was sunk on 4 May 1945 with 13 killed and 23 wounded . The victory at Okinawa cost 17 crewman of " LSM ( R ) - 188 " part of the 4 , 907 killed or missing and 4 , 824 wounded .