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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LSM-42


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Delta - Echo
 NVDE
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Nav Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Individual Awards

Purple Heart (C. Ray Johnston, MoMM, wounded in action during Ormoc Bay landings)

USS LSM-42 was transferred to the Republic of China, seized by People's Republic of China and redesignated HUA-208
LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium:
  • Laid down, 28 May 1944, at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX.
  • Launched, 22 June 1944
  • Commissioned USS LSM-42, 4 August 1944, LT. Seymour I. Burton USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LSM-42 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operation
    Ormoc Bay landings, 11 to 24 December 1944     		Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines
    Mindanao Island landings, 10 March, 24 to 31 March and 10 to 16 May 1945
    Sulu Archipelago landings, 2 to 4 April and 9 to 11 April 1945
    Manila Bay-Bicol operations
    Mariveles-Corregidor, 14 to 28 February 1945     		Borneo operations
    Balikpapan operation, 26 June to 6 July 1945

  • Following World War II USS LSM-42 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    27 September 1945 to 4 June 194627 September 1945to 4 June 1946

  • Decommissioned, 4 June 1946, at Shanghai, China, and transferred that same date to the Republic of China (Nationalist China)
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS LSM-42 earned four battle stars for World War II service
  • Seized in October 1949 by the People's Republic of China forces, redesignated HUA-208
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    Specifications:
    Displacement 520 t.(light), 743 t. (landing) 1,095 t.(fully loaded)
    Length 203' 6" (ovl)
    Beam 34' 6"
    Draft
    light, 3' 6" forward, 7' 8" aft
    fully loaded, 6' 4" forward, 8' 3" aft
    Speed 13.2 kts. (max.), (928 tons displacement)
    Complement
    5 officers
    54 enlisted
    Armament
    one twin bow mounted 40mm gun
    four single 20mm gun mounts
    Vehicle/Boat Capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVT's, or 9 DUKW's
    Fuel Capacity
    Diesel 1,225 Bbls
    Troop Accommodations
    2 officers
    46 enlisted
    Armor 10-lb. STS splinter shield to gun mounts, pilot house and conning station
    Endurance 4,900 miles @ 12kts.(928 tons displacement)
    Propulsion
    two Fairbanks Morse (model 38D81/8X10, reversible with hydraulic clutch) Diesel engines, direct drive with 1,440 BHP each @ 720rpm
    Ship's Service Generators
     two Diesel-drive 100Kw 450V A.C.
     one Diesel-drive 20Kw 120V D.C.
    twin propellers, 2,800shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    LSM-42 33k USS LSM-42 beached at Leyte Gulf, 1944 Joe Johnston son of C. Ray Johnston, MoMM,
    USS LSM-42 wounded in action during Ormoc Bay landings
    LSM-42 33k USS LSM-42 beached at Tokyo Bay, 1945 Joe Johnston son of C. Ray Johnston, MoMM,
    USS LSM-42 wounded in action during Ormoc Bay landings
    LSM-267 95k USS LSM-267, USS LSM-42 and USS LSM-38 beached at Morotai, Dutch East Indies, 16 June 1945 Robert Benner to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-42 77k Units of the Australian 7 Division assembling and boarding USS LSM-42 at Morotai, Borneo, 21 June 1945. The landing ship is part of ships forming a convoy for Operation OBOE 2 and is shown being loaded with an amphibious DUKW carrying a 25 pounder gun of the 2/4 Field Regiment.
    Australian War Memorial, Photo No.109875.    		 Mike Green
    LSM-42 76k USS LSM-42 under way off Morotai in 1945. Photo probably taken from HMAS Manoora Peter Johnson, son of Stoker Richard Lawrence (Laurie) Johnson RAN, HMAS Manoora
    LSM-42 44k
    The history extract for USS LSM-42 is from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, © 1997. (ISBN 1-56311-389-9).
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Burton, Seymour I., USNR4 August 1944 - 12 August 1945
    02LT. Wilson, John Charles, USNR12 August 1945 - December 1945
    03LTjg. Smith, H. G., USNRDecember 1945 - March 1946
    04LTjg. Taylor, Terry, USNRMarch 1946 - 4 June 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last updated 5 May 2018