Landing_Ship_Medium

Landing Ship Medium

Landing Ship Medium

Type of American amphibious assault ship


A Landing Ship Medium (LSM) was 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 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, 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 ft long, able to operate at 22 knots and have a range of 6500 miles. 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 9 LSMs. As a comparison the Jason class of the Greek Navy is about 380 ft long, with a top speed of 18 knots

LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium (Transport)

Quick Facts General characteristics ...

List of LSM-1-class ships

In total, 558 LSM ships were launched. Some notable examples include:

More information Name, Year launched ...

LSM(R)-188-class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket)

Quick Facts General characteristics ...

LSM(R)-401-class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket)

Quick Facts General characteristics ...
  • 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)

Quick Facts General characteristics ...

Gypsy-class Salvage Lifting Vessels

Quick Facts General characteristics ...

Production

Dates are launch dates.[2]

Delivery:[2]

  • 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.[citation needed]

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).[3][4]

See also


References

  1. "Meet the Fleet – USNS LSM-335". Sealift Magazine. Vol. 14, no. 8. Washington, D.C.: Military Sea Transportation Service. August 1964. p. 24. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  2. "Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV". Shipbuilding History. 6 January 2018.
  3. Shelbourne, Mallory (February 2023). "Marine Corps Requirements Call for 9 Light Amphibious Ships per Regiment". USNI News. United States Naval Institute.
  4. Grady, John (February 2023). "SECNAV Del Toro 'Excited' About New Landing Ship Mediums". USNI News. United States Naval Institute.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Landing_Ship_Medium, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.