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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LSM-53


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Echo - Alpha
 NVEA
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium:
  • Laid down, 22 June 1944, at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX.
  • Launched, 14 July 1944
  • Commissioned USS LSM-53, 16 August 1944, LT. Arthur H. Nelson USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LSM-53 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945     		Consolidation and capture of the southern Philippines
    Palawan Islands landings, 28 February to 1 March 1945
    Visayan Island landings, 18 to 19 March, and 26 March to 1 April 1945
    Manila Bay - Bicol operations
    Nasugbu, 31 January 1945     		Borneo operation
    Brunei Bay operation, 10 to 14 June 1945

  • Decommissioned, 15 April 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS LSM-53 earned four battle stars for World War II service
  • Sold, 14 August 1947, to Indian River Lines Inc., Wilmington, DE., converted to a barge
  • 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-53 60k USS LSM-53 beached at Leyte, P.I., date unknown. USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-65 296k USS LSM-53 and USS LSM-65 beached at Mindoro, P.I. circa February 1945.
    Photo courtesy Rene J. Fournier USS LSM-54    		 Hugh Hudson
    LSM-53 56k USS LSM-53 on the beach unloading at Brunei Bay, Borneo, 10 June 1945.
    Photo from the George F. Crouse Collection, photo No, a28a.     		Submitted by Gary F. Crouse, in honor of his deceased father
    George F. Crouse who served as a MoMM/1 USS LSM-52
    LSM-53 575k Australian Army 214 Pioneer Battalion soldiers, with the help of US Navy sailors, unload USS LSM-53 on the beach at Labaun Island, 11 June 1945.
    US Army Signal Corps. photo # SC 209754 by Heller, from the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Dave Kerr
    LSM-53 127k USS LSM-53 together with an unidentified LSM in the locks in the Panama Canal, date unknown. Bob Magnuson to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-53 118k
    The history extract for USS LSM-53 is from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, © 1997. (ISBN 1-56311-389-9).
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Nelson, Arthur H., USNR16 August 1944 - September 1945
    02LT. Cogdill, Max F., USNRSeptember 1945 - December 1945
    03LTjg. Moxon, Arthur L., USNRDecember 1945 - March 1946
    04LTjg. Specht, Joseph F., USNRMarch 1946 - 15 April 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    USS LSM-LSMR Association
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Landing Ship Medium (LSM) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last updated 19 May 2018