USS LSM-45
Encyclopedia
USS LSM-45 is a medium landing ship built for 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
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The ship also served as Ypoploiarkhos Grigoropoulos (L161) in the Hellenic Navy
Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...
from 1958 to 1993. She is the last known surviving LSM in its original configuration. Currently located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a United States military training facility in North Carolina. The base's of beaches make it a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports allows for fast deployments.The main base is supplemented by five satellite...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, LSM-45 was donated to the Museum of the Marine
Museum of the Marine
The Museum of the Marine is a museum under development in Jacksonville, North Carolina, home of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The museum will provide exhibits on individual Marines, Marine units, Marine families and support to Marines by local communities....
by the now defunct Amphibious Ship Museum under the understanding that it would be put on display at the museum, and was towed to North Carolina in 2004 from Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. The museum decided in 2007 that the ship will not be a part of the museum and is looking for another home for the ship. There have been reports that the Museum is considering scrapping or sinking the ship as an artificial reef.
Career
USS LSM-45 was laid down on 6 June 1944 at Brown Shipyard Co. in Houston, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and was launched on 30 June 1944. She was commissioned on 31 July 1944, Lt. Charles D. Freight USNR, in command.
During World War II LSM-45 was assigned to the Pacific Theater
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
and saw service in the Philippines. She was decommissioned on 27 March 1947 at Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs is a city in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,908. It is the county seat of Clay County....
, and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs.
On 3 November 1958, the ship was transferred to Greece, and served in the Hellenic Navy
Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...
under the name Ypoploiarkhos Grigoropoulos (L-161).
AMA ownership
In early 1998, the Amphibious Museum of the Americas (AMA) found the former LSM-45 in Greece, half sunk. The AMA raised and restored the ship and had it towed back to the United States. A press release stated, "We have found USS LSM-45 in the Grecian Isles and she is being returned to the United States to be placed in the National Naval Museum at Freedom Park, Omaha, Nebraska, right on the Missouri River." Getting LSM-45 ready for towing to New Orleans took a month in the Greek naval base's repair yard.In August 1998, the ship came under full control of the USS LSM-LSMR Association, made up of former shipmates who served on LSMs and similar ships from 1944 to 1970.
Intermarine of New Orleans, Louisiana, volunteered its services to the Landing Ship, Medium (LSM) Association of America and committed to deliver the ship over the 7000 nautical miles (12,964 km) distance from Greece to Omaha, Nebraska.
The LSM departed Hellenic Naval Base, Skaramagas
Skaramagas
Skaramagkas is a small town in the western part of Athens, Greece. It is part of the municipality of Chaidari. The town has a refinery and a neighboring shipyard and docks to carry oil production to other parts of the Mediterranean and the world. The bay area is one of the most productive...
, Greece, on 9 September 1998 under tow of the chartered Russian tug, Ost. After a stop at Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, in the Canary Islands for fuel, the tug made way across the Atlantic Ocean heading directly west on course 270° at a speed of 7.2 knots (3.9 m/s). Rounding the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
, the Ost and her tow then headed up through the Gulf and arrived at the Port of New Orleans
Port of New Orleans
The Port of New Orleans is a port located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the 1st in the United States based on volume of cargo handled, second-largest in the state after the Port of South Louisiana, and 13th largest in the U.S. based on value of cargo...
on October 20.
Intermarine assumed the responsibility as agents for the LSM Association and Freedom Park, managing all registration and berthing efforts upon the LSM's port of entry arrival. Additional port services were arranged with gracious vendors and many volunteers who donated their services. The timing of the tow from New Orleans to the nation's heartland at Omaha, Nebraska, was the next big hurdle primarily because the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
was closing to navigation traffic around mid-November. Barge and tow operators are usually busy getting their equipment out of the rivers before the winter freeze.
Towing from New Orleans, up the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, was made possible by American Commercial Barge Lines. Blaske Marine then provided the AMA a dedicated towboat to push LSM-45 up the Missouri from St. Louis to a permanent riverfront berth at Freedom Park, arriving on Monday, 23 November 1998.
While in Omaha, restoration work was done by volunteers including a fresh coat of paint, unstepping the mast for storage, and work on all decks. The bulkheads below deck were lined with rows of walnut plaques with the names of those hundreds of individuals that had given of their time and money to restore and save the LSM. There is evidence on every deck, in every compartment, from the galley to the engine room that many hours of restoration had taken place by dedicated workers.
Donation to Museum of the Marine
The Amphibious Ship Museum, a group of former military members who served on LSMs during World War II and the Korean War, were unhappy with the maintenance and upkeep of the LSM-45 at Freedom Park and began looking for a new home for the ship. Museum representatives contacted Headquarters Marine Corps' historical branch, which put them in touch with the Marine Corps Museum of the Carolinas. The Amphibious Ship Museum agreed to turn over rights to the ship and its artifacts to the Marine Corps Museum of the Carolinas once the ship anchored at Mile Hammock Bay, near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.On 11 December 2003 the State Department granted approval for the moving of the LSM-45. The ship was towed to the Museum of the Marine
Museum of the Marine
The Museum of the Marine is a museum under development in Jacksonville, North Carolina, home of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The museum will provide exhibits on individual Marines, Marine units, Marine families and support to Marines by local communities....
in Jacksonville, North Carolina
Jacksonville, North Carolina
Jacksonville, North Carolina, is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the population stood at 70,145, which makes Jacksonville the 14th largest city in North Carolina...
, in April 2004. Once docked behind the museum, it was to be opened to the public and the ship's deck was to be filled with equipment used during World War II.
After nearly three years, the Museum of the Marine announced it was pulling anchor on the donated World War II ship and looking for someone who could better afford its preservation.
Initially, the museum planned to incorporate the 500-ton vessel into a site plan that, at the time, focused on waterfront property on the New River next to Jacksonville's proposed civic center. Location prospects fizzled, though, along with the civic center plans.
Now ready to break ground sans water, the Museum of the Marine rethought its ability to keep the ship afloat. The museum's announcement to break ties with the ship came shortly after members of the USS LSM/LSMR Association - an organization closely tied to the ship's donors - began questioning the fate of the ship after learning of the museum's plans to build in the landlocked Lejeune Memorial Gardens.
By May 2003, the Museum of the Marine has identified several organizations as a suitable home for the vessel and hoped to share transportation costs with the benefactor.
In photos taken in February 2009, the ship appears to have significantly deteriorated since being handed over to the Museum of the Marine, and will again need new paint.
Reports of plans to scrap
By late 2008 reports had begun to surface that the Museum of the Marine had not found a suitable home for the ship, and that due to a request by the Coast Guard for the return of the pier where it was moored, were considering scrapping the ship, or sinking it as an artificial reef. The ship was also closed to visitors, although members of the restored were able to visit and tour the ship in February 2009 by making contact with the museum. In May, 2009, a working group from the USS Slater (DE 766) removed parts and material for use in the restoration of their ship (in Albany, NY). In February, 2010, crewmembers from LST 325 also removed parts. The Museum of the Marine plans to remove the 40mm mount and the conning tower for possible display, with the LSM 45 then being used as a barge by a private owner.Status as last known survivor
USS LSM-45 was one of three known survivors, along with LSM-333 and LSM-469, which were owned by the Royal Thai NavyRoyal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy is the navy of Thailand and part of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, it was established in the late 19th century. Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse is "The Father of Royal Thai Navy". Similar to the organizational structure of the United States, the Royal Thai Navy includes the...
.
On 1 February 2003, LSM-469 was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of Pattaya
Pattaya
Pattaya is a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok located within but not part of Amphoe Bang Lamung in the province of Chonburi....
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
On 17 September 2006 the Royal Thai Navy sank LSM-333 off the coast of Thailand at Pattaya, leaving LSM-45 as the last known survivor in original Naval configuration. Other LSM have been converted to commercial use.