Summary
USS LSM-355 was a LSM-1-class landing ship medium in the United States Navy during World War II. The ship was transferred to France as L9011, South Vietnam as RVNS Hát Giang (HQ-400) and Philippines as RPS Western Samar (LP-66).
 USS LSM-355
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | LSM-355 |
| Builder | Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston |
| Laid down | 11 November 1944 |
| Launched | 2 December 1944 |
| Commissioned | 24 December 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 23 October 1946 |
| Recommissioned | 18 September 1950 |
| Decommissioned | 11 January 1954 |
| Identification |
|
| Honors and awards | See Awards |
| Fate | Transferred to France, 22 January 1954 |
| History | |
 France | |
| Name | L9011 |
| Acquired | 22 January 1954 |
| Commissioned | 28 June 1954 |
| Decommissioned | October 1955 |
| Fate | Transferred to South Vietnam, October 1955 |
| History | |
 South Vietnam | |
| Name | Hát Giang |
| Namesake | Hát Giang |
| Acquired | October 1955 |
| Commissioned | December 1955 |
| Decommissioned | 30 April 1975 |
| Identification | Pennant number: HQ-400 |
| Fate | Transferred to Philippines, 30 April 1975 |
| History | |
 Philippines | |
| Name | Western Samar |
| Namesake | Western Samar |
| Acquired | 30 April 1975 |
| Commissioned | 17 November 1975 |
| Decommissioned | prior 1985[1] |
| Identification | Pennant number: LP-66 |
| Fate | Sold to merchant service, 4 October 1977 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | LSM-1-class landing ship medium |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 203 ft 6 in (62.03 m) o/a |
| Beam | 34 ft 6 in (10.52 m) |
| Draft |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × Fairbanks-Morse (model 38D81/8X10, reversible with hydraulic clutch) diesels. Direct drive with 1,440 bhp (1,074 kW) each @ 720 rpm, twin screws |
| Speed | 13.2 knots (15.2 mph; 24.4 km/h) |
| Range | 4,900 nmi (9,100 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h) |
| Capacity | 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVTs, or 9 DUKWs |
| Troops | 2 officers, 46 enlisted |
| Complement | 5 officers, 54 enlisted |
| Armament | 6 × 20 mm AA gun mounts |
| Armour | 10-lb. STS splinter shield to gun mounts, pilot house and conning station |
Construction and career edit
LSM-355 was laid down on 11 November 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas, was launched on 2 December 1944 and commissioned on 24 December 1944.[2]
During World War II, LSM-355 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater. She was assigned to occupation service in the Far East from 2 September to 23 December 1945.[3]
LSM-355 was decommissioned on 23 October 1946,[2] but was recommissioned on 18 September 1950 amid the Korean War.[2][4] During the war, it supplied air force detachments in Korea and Japan. As such it was awarded battle stars for U.N. Summer-Fall Offensive 1952 (1 to 31 October 1952) and Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 (12 to 20 November 1952).[3]
She was put out of service on 11 January 1954 at the Pacific Reserve Fleet and loaned to the French on 22 January 1954.[5]
She was struck from the Navy Register.
The ship was commissioned into the French Navy on 28 June 1954 and renamed L9011. She later took part in the Indo-China War, chartering anti-Communist refugees.[5][3]
L9011 was then transferred to South Vietnam in December 1955 becoming the RVNS Hát Giang with the pennant number HQ-400, remaining in service during the Vietnam War. In 1966, Hát Giang was converted to a hospital ship.[6] The ship's armament was retained, and additional deckhouses built on Hát Giang's well deck.[7]
During the fall of Vietnam, she escaped to the Philippines on 30 April 1975. The ship was commissioned into the Philippine Navy on 17 November 1975 as RPS Western Samar (LP-66).[7] She was also briefly used as a Floating Medical Facility.
She was put out of service between 1985 and 1989 and sold to a private company to be used as a barge. Her fate is unknown.
Awards edit
LST-355 have earned the following awards:
Citations edit
- ^ "Three Stars and the Sun at War-Philippine Military and Naval History". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Friedman 2002, p. 534.
- ^ a b c "USS LSM-355". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
citing LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II. Turner Publishing Company, 1997. ISBN 1-56311-389-9
- ^ Guðmundur Helgason. "USS LSM 355 (LSM 355)". uboat.net. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Further Information & Corrections: Warship Information Service". Warship International. 10 (3). International Naval Research Organization: 320–335. 1973. JSTOR 44890242.
- ^ Blackman 1971, p. 657.
- ^ a b Moore 1985, p. 400.
Sources edit
- Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1971). Jane's Fighting Ships 1971–72. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd. ISBN 0-354-00096-9.
- Friedman, Norman (2002). U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland, USA. ISBN 1-55750-250-1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Moore, John (1984). Jane's Fighting Ships 1984-85. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710607959.
- Moore, John, ed. (1985). Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–86. London: Jane's Yearbooks. ISBN 0-7106-0814-4.
- Saunders, Stephen (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009-2010. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710628886.
- Fairplay International Shipping Journal Volume 222. United Kingdom: Fairplay Publishing Limited. 1967.
- United States. Dept. of the Treasury (1962). Treasury Decisions Under the Customs, Internal Revenue, Industrial Alcohol, Narcotic and Other Laws, Volume 97. U.S. Government Printing Office.