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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Patch design by Ray Ault, RM2, USS Clarion River, contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Clarion River (LFR-409)
ex
 USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) (1955 - 1969)
 USS LSM(R)-409 (1945 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Tango - Tango - Sierra
 NTTS
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons





Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (one retroactive Korea - 13-17Sep50, two Vietnam - 15-17Jun67, 12Aug68) - Navy Unit Commendation (2) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Second Row - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Third Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (4) - Vietnam Service Medal (9) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (13)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
Individual Awards

Silver Star (LT James M. Stewart - CO LSM(R)-409, 17 July 1951 Wonsan Harbor, North Korea) - Gold Star in lieu of second award
LSM(R)-401 Class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket):
  • Laid down, 26 January 1945, at US Naval Shipyard, Charleston, S.C.
  • Launched, 18 February 1945
  • Commissioned USS LSM(R)-409, 16 May 1945, LTjg. Herbert H. Boltin, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LSM(R)-409 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LSM(R) Flotilla Eighteen, CAPT. C. F. Macklin;
     LSM(R) Group Fifty-Two, CDR. J. M. Edwards;
     LSM(R) Division One Hundred Four
  • Decommissioned, 6 February 1947, at San Diego, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet
  • Recommissioned, 5 October 1950
  • During the Korean War USS LSM(R)-409 was assigned to LSMR Squadron Five and participated in the following campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    23 May to 6 June 1951     		Third Korean Winter
    16 to 30 April 1953
    U.N. Summer-Fall Offensive
    15 to 30 July 1951,
    26 August to 21 September 1951     		Korean Summer-Fall
    1 May to 20 July 1953

  • USS LSM(R)-409 was assigned to China Service from 7 to 12 February 1955
  • Named Clarion River (LSMR-409), 1 October 1955
  • Decommissioned, 26 October 1955, at Astoria, OR.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group
  • Recommissioned, 18 September 1965, at San Francisco Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point
  • Reclassified Inshore Fire Support Ship (LFR-409), 1 January 1969
  • During the Vietnam War USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) / LFR-409 participated in the following campaigns:

    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    26 May to 4 June 1966
    13 to 30 June 1966     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    3 November to 7 December 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    1 to 2 July 1966
    13 July to 4 August 1966
    13 to 29 October 1966
    12 to 23 November 1966
    30 January to 13 March 1967     		Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    23 February to 8 June 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    7 June to 6 July 1967
    23 July to 17 August 1967
    26 October to 20 November 1967
    26 December 1967 to 18 January 1968     		Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    9 June to 31 October 1969
    Tet Counteroffensive
    3 to 25 February 1968     		Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970
    1 November 1969 to 30 April 1970
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V
    8 July to 13 August 1968
    24 August to 23 September 1968     		 

  • Decommissioned, 8 May 1970, at Yokosuka, Japan
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS Clarion River earned four battle stars for Korean War service and nine campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in November 1970, to Nissho-Iwai American Corp., Sasebo, Japan
    Specifications:
    Displacement
    light 758 t.
    attack 994 t.
    fully loaded 1,084 t.
    Length 203' 6" o.a.
    Beam 34' 6"
    Draft 7' 2' (lim)
    Speed 12.6 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 5
    Enlisted 133
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount
    two twin 40mm gun mounts
    four twin 20mm gun mounts (after Korean War)
    ten twin tube continuous loading 5" spin stabilizer rocket launchers (two removed after Korean War)
    four 4.2" mortars (removed after Korean War)
    two .50 cal machine guns on the forecastle
    two .30 cal machine guns on the bridge wings.
    Armor 10-lb. STS on conning station, pilot-house, radio room, radar plot, and rocket control, 10-lb. ASPP around 40 and 20mm gun mounts and directors
    Fuel Capacity
    Diesel 1,225 Bbls
    Propulsion
    two General Motors 16-278A (non-reversing with airflex clutch) Diesel engines, direct drive with 1,440 BHP each @ 720rpm
    Ship's Service Generators
     four Diesel-drive 100Kw 450V A.C.
     two Diesel-drive 20Kw 120V D.C.
    twin screws 2,800 shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Clarion River 94k USS LSM(R)-409 mooring pierside, at Naval Net Depot Tiburon, CA., date unknown. USS LSM / LSMR Association
    Big Black River 79k USS LSM(R)-409, USS LSM(R)-412, USS LSM(R)-401, USS LSM(R)-403, USS LSM(R)-404 and USS LSM(R)-419 moored at Yokosuka, Japan, 1 May 1951
    US Navy photo.    		 Lewis Smith to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    Clarion River 90k USS LSM(R)-409 underway off San Diego, CA., 25 February 1954. USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSMR-409 71k USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) underway, date and location unknown. Photo Courtesy Jim Tusing LSM-372,
    Editor "Alligator Alley" The Newsletter
    of the USS LSM - LSMR Association
    St Francis River 102k USS Clarion River (LSMR-409 and USS St. Francis River (LSMR-525) recommissioning ceremony, 18 September 1965, at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point. USS LSM / LSMR Association
    Clarion River 85k USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) underway in San Francisco Bay, 16 October 1965. Note Alcatraz Island in the background.
    US Navy photo.    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    Clarion River 88k USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) underway in San Francisco Bay, 16 October 1965. Note the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the background.
    US Navy photo.    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    Clarion River 96k USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) passing under the Golden Gate Bridge outbound to sea for several days of sea trials, 16 October 1965. Richard Carlsen USS Clarion River
    Clarion River 134k USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) along with USS Carronade (IFS-1), USS White River (LSMR-536 ) and USS St. Francis River (LSMR-525) off Danang, South Vietnam in November 1967.
    US Navy photo.    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    Clarion River
    100640913    		 31k USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) along with USS Carronade (IFS-1), USS White River (LSMR-536 ) and USS St. Francis River (LSMR-525), off the coast of South Vietnam, 30 November 1967.
    U.S. Navy photo    		 Robert Hurst
    Clarion River 192k USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from the 1968-69 edition of "Jane's Fighting Ships"    		 Robert Hurst
    Clarion River 168k Port bow view (right to left) of USS Clarion River (LSMR-409), USS White River (LSMR-536 ) and USS St. Francis River (LSMR-525) moored at Naval Station Yokosuka, Japan, in1968. Bob Blair Engineering Officer, USS LSMR-409 1967-68
    Clarion River 173k Stern view (left to right) of USS Clarion River (LSMR-409), USS White River (LSMR-536 ) and USS St. Francis River (LSMR-525) moored at Naval Station Yokosuka, Japan, in1968. Bob Blair Engineering Officer, USS LSMR-409 1967-68
    Clarion River 177k Shipyard workers at Yokosuka, Japan reinstall USS Clarion River (LSMR-409)'s 5"/38 gun mount, circa 1967-68
    US Navy photo.    		 Bob Blair Engineering Officer, USS LSMR-409 1967-68
    Clarion River 93k USS LSM(R)-409 ceramic ashtray Tommy Trampp
    Additional Ships Patches
    Clarion River
    Contributed by Mike Smolinski    		 Clarion River
    Contributed by Mike Smolinski
    USS Clarion River LSM(R)-409 History from Mobile Riverine Force Association
    Commanding Officers
    01LTjg. Boltin, Herbert H., USNR9 May 1945 - December 1945
    02LTjg. Prentice, Donald H., USNRDecember 1945 - March 1946
    03LTjg. Swallow, Donald G., USNRMarch 1946 - May 1946
    04ENS. Davis, Thomas Everett, USN (USNA 1946)May 1946 - June 1946
    05LT. Scribner, Louis Burton, USNJune 1946 - 6 February 1947
     Decommissioned6 February 1947 - 5 October 1950
     Decommissioned26 October 1955 - 18 September 1965
    06LT. Meinig Jr., George Richard, USN (USNA 1958)18 September 1965 - 23 March 1967
    07LT. Rodgers Jr., James Claude, USN23 March 1967 - October 1968
    08LT. Cagle, Lonnie Francis, USNOctober 1968 - 8 May 1970
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    Mobile Riverine Force Association
    USS Clarion River LSMR 409
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 17 November 2023