USS LSM(R)-188 was the lead ship

Lead ship

The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...

 of her 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, which took part in the Battle of Okinawa

Battle of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...

. 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 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 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 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 :...

.

On 3 May 1945 the 188-class LSM(R)'s was put to the test and was not found wanting. The action at the picket stations proved that the courage and punishment endured by US Navy personnel was unrelated to the size of the ship. The Japanese launched their fifth kikusui attack on May 3. Picket station 10 was the hardest hit. Shortly before dusk, the destroyer 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 wasn't 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. The LSM-195 had to be abandoned and, after being ripped by heavy explosions, sank. The following day the ordeal for the LSM(R)'s reached its tragic climax. The day dawned bright and ominous. The 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. 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 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,...

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 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. No one realized at the time that this was a preview of what this class of ship would suffer six weeks later on the picket line.

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 April 2 - April 20, 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 effect 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 proformed by any number of other landing craft whose primary function is more closely conincident with screening operations." Before these recommendations were implemented the USS LSMR-195 was sunk on May 3, 1945 with 9 killed and 16 wounded, the USS LSMR-190 was sunk on 4 May 1945 with 13 killed and 18 wounded, the USS LSMR-194 was sunk on May 4, 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.