The LSM(R)-188 class was a class of twelve Landing Ship Medium (Rocket) of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 during World War II.
They were used in the Pacific War for bombardment of shore positions.

Development

The Landing Ship Medium (Rocket) was a development of the Landing Ship Medium for providing supporting fire to amphibious operations.

The LSM was one of a type of amphibious warfare ships alongside the Landing Ship Tank and Landing Ship Infantry

Landing Craft Infantry

The Landing craft, Infantry or LCI were several classes of sea-going amphibious assault ships of the Second World War utilized to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches. They were developed in response to a British request for a vessel capable of carrying and landing substantially...

.
In the Normandy landings of 1944, some of the larger landing craft had been fitted with artillery, ship guns and rockets (e.g. LCI(R) ) to aid the bombardment of the German defences. A British LCT(R) could deliver 1,000 3-inch rockets in single firing onto the beaches - said to be the firepower of 80 cruisers.

In 1944 the US Navy Bureau of Ordnance fitted LSM with a 5-inch/38 gun and rockets to give landing troop fire support out to 4,000 yards beyond the beach. This armament gave it the ability to interdict, harass, and destroy the enemy. The high trajectory of the firepower meant it was effective against defences otherwise protected by their position on the reverse slope

The LSM(R) was featured in Life Magazine of April 16, 1945 with a centerfold picture and the caption. "Each of these tiny ships had amazing firepower, greater at short range than the combined firepower of two mammoth Iowa class battleships".

All ships of the class carried a single 5 in (127 mm) gun in a turret at the rear of the ship. Two 40 mm Bofors guns were carried; a single mount at the bow and another amidships in front of the bridge. In addition, three Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...

 were carried in single mounts. The main armament was the rocket launchers. No. 188 to 195 had 75 four-rail Mark 36 rocket launchers and a further 30 six-rail Mark 30 Rocket Launchers, the latter were removed in early April 1945. The others had 85 Mark 51 automatic rocket launchers.

Service

The interim group of 12 LSM(R)s crossed to the Pacific through the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 and on to the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, headed for battle against Japan in March 1945.

In a preliminary assault on March 26, 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 a haven for damaged ships.

On the night of March 28, 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 LSMR 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 Kerama Retto

Kerama Retto

The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....

 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 for a first combat test of the 188-class LSM(R)s. The Japanese Sea Raiding Units had suicide boats based there, and on the morning of March 29 three of these boats attacked the USS LSM(R)-189 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 April 1, 1945 as part of the Northern Tractor Flotilla included USS LSM(R)-194

USS LSM(R)-194

USS LSM-194 was a LSM-188 class Landing Ship Medium of the United States Navy during World War II, which took part in the Battle of Okinawa. LSM-194 was laid down at the Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina on 21 November 1944. The ship was under the command of Lt.jg Allen M....

,LSM(R)-195, USS LSM(R)-196, USS LSM(R)-197

USS LSM(R)-197

LSM-197 was a United States Navy vessel laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was commissioned on 8 December 1944, Lt.John N. Cooper, USNR, in command.-Design:...

, USS LSM(R)-198

USS LSM(R)-198

USS LSM 198 was a Landing Ship Medium of the US Navy during World War II.It was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was commissioned on 12 December 1944 with LtJG. George B...

, and USS LSM(R)-199

USS LSM(R)-199

LSM-199 was a LSM-188 class Landing Ship Medium of the US Navy during World War II. laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, The ship was commissioned on 12 December 1944, Lt. Charles D. Cobb, USNR, in command....

. 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 USS LSM(R)-189, USS LSM(R)-190

USS LSM(R)-190

USS LSM-190 was a United States Navy LSM-188-class Landing Ship Medium . She was built at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina and was commissioned on 21 November 1944. LSM-190 took part in the Battle of Okinawa from 7 April–May 4, 1945. She was hit and sunk by a Japanese suicide plane...

, USS LSM(R)-191

USS LSM(R)-191

LSM-191 was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was commissioned on 21 November 1944, Lt. John W. Loyer, USNR, in command. USS LSM-191 took part in the assault and occupation of Okinawa on 26 March-3 June 1945....

, USS LSM(R)-192

USS LSM(R)-192

LSM-192 was a LSM-188 class Landing Ship Medium of the US Navy during World War II. Laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, the ship was commissioned on 21 November 1944, Lt. Neal B. Hadsell, USNR, in command....

, and USS LSM(R)-193

USS LSM(R)-193

LSM-193 was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was commissioned on 21 November 1944, Lt. Donald E. Boynton, USNR, in command.-Service History :...

.

Okinawa picket duty

During the battle for Okinawa, the plan for defense against the kamikazes (which would be targeting the fleet anchored off Okinawa and the Allied forces and supply dumps ashore) was to have fighters intercept the Japanese aircraft as early as possible. To this end Sixteen radar picket stations were established around the island, in some cases almost 100 miles out. Each station was manned around the clock by a handful of ships ranging from destroyers down to minesweepers and their task was to sound the alarm and vector fighters to intercept before they reached the flett. However the kamikazes also made targets of the picket ships. The LSM(R)s were not suited for picket duty. They did not aircraft tracking radar and their guns lacked adequate anti-aircraft director controller making them poor at the job of anit-aircraft defence. Added to this they were laden with highly explosive rockets making them more vulnerable in case of damage. Most importantly they were specialist craft in short supply while other vessels were available for the picket duty. Their flotilla commander recommended they be withdrawn from the picket lines.

On 3 May 1945 the Japanese launched their fifth kikusui attack. Picket station 10 was the hardest hit. Shortly before dusk, the desetroyer USS Aaron Ward

USS Aaron Ward

USS Aaron Ward may refer to:, served between 1919 and 1940 and then became the HMS Castleton., served between 1942 and her sinking by Japanese bombers in 1943., was a destroyer minelayer that served in 1944 and 1945....

 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 was not worth repairing. About the same time, approximately 20 planes attacked destroyer USS Little

USS Little

Two ships in the United States Navy have been named USS Little for Captain George Little.*USS Little , was a Wickes-class destroyer, launched in 1918. In 1940 she was later redesignated a high-speed transport, APD-4. She was sunk in action off Guadalcanal in 1942.*USS Little , was a Fletcher-class...

. 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. The USS LSM(R)-195

USS LSM(R)-195

LSM-195 was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard. The ship was commissioned on 21 November 1944, Lt. William E. Woodson, USNR, in command- Service history :...

 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. The following day, May 4, USS LSM(R)-190

USS LSM(R)-190

USS LSM-190 was a United States Navy LSM-188-class Landing Ship Medium . She was built at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina and was commissioned on 21 November 1944. LSM-190 took part in the Battle of Okinawa from 7 April–May 4, 1945. She was hit and sunk by a Japanese suicide plane...

 was patrolling at Picket Station 12. Not long after sunrise the anticipated kamikazes arrived and were met by American combat air patrol

Combat air patrol

Combat air patrol is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft.A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile...

. Several of the Japanese planes managed to get through. Three kamikazes crashed into LSM(R) 190 and she was sunk along with the destroyer USS Luce

USS Luce

USS Luce may refer to various United States Navy ships:, a Wickes-class destroyer launched in 1918 and scrapped in 1936, a Fletcher-class destroyer launched in 1943 and sunk during the Battle of Okinawa, 1945, a Farragut-class guided missile destroyer launched in 1958 and scrapped in 2004See also,...

. At the same time, LSM(R) 194 suffered the same fate at Picket Station 1.

Ships

Ship	Builder	Completed	Notes
USS LSM(R)-188 USS LSM(R)-188 USS LSM-188 was the lead ship of her class of twelve Landing Ship Medium of the United States Navy during World War II, which took part in the Battle of Okinawa. Lt. Harry C. Crist, USNR, in command....			sold 1948
USS LSM(R)-189	Charleston Navy Yard		sold 1948
USS LSM(R)-190 USS LSM(R)-190 USS LSM-190 was a United States Navy LSM-188-class Landing Ship Medium . She was built at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina and was commissioned on 21 November 1944. LSM-190 took part in the Battle of Okinawa from 7 April–May 4, 1945. She was hit and sunk by a Japanese suicide plane...			sunk on 4 May 1945
USS LSM(R)-191 USS LSM(R)-191 LSM-191 was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was commissioned on 21 November 1944, Lt. John W. Loyer, USNR, in command. USS LSM-191 took part in the assault and occupation of Okinawa on 26 March-3 June 1945....
USS LSM(R)-192 USS LSM(R)-192 LSM-192 was a LSM-188 class Landing Ship Medium of the US Navy during World War II. Laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, the ship was commissioned on 21 November 1944, Lt. Neal B. Hadsell, USNR, in command....
USS LSM(R)-193 USS LSM(R)-193 LSM-193 was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was commissioned on 21 November 1944, Lt. Donald E. Boynton, USNR, in command.-Service History :...			sold 1948
USS LSM(R)-194 USS LSM(R)-194 USS LSM-194 was a LSM-188 class Landing Ship Medium of the United States Navy during World War II, which took part in the Battle of Okinawa. LSM-194 was laid down at the Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina on 21 November 1944. The ship was under the command of Lt.jg Allen M....			sunk on 4 May 1945
USS LSM(R)-195 USS LSM(R)-195 LSM-195 was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard. The ship was commissioned on 21 November 1944, Lt. William E. Woodson, USNR, in command- Service history :...			sunk 3 May 1945
USS LSM(R)-196
USS LSM(R)-197 USS LSM(R)-197 LSM-197 was a United States Navy vessel laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was commissioned on 8 December 1944, Lt.John N. Cooper, USNR, in command.-Design:...
USS LSM(R)-198 USS LSM(R)-198 USS LSM 198 was a Landing Ship Medium of the US Navy during World War II.It was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was commissioned on 12 December 1944 with LtJG. George B...
USS LSM(R)-199 USS LSM(R)-199 LSM-199 was a LSM-188 class Landing Ship Medium of the US Navy during World War II. laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, The ship was commissioned on 12 December 1944, Lt. Charles D. Cobb, USNR, in command....