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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LSM-397

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal
LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium:
  • Laid down, 15 December 1944, at US Navy Yard Charleston, S.C.
  • Launched, 6 January 1945
  • Commissioned USS LSM-397, 30 July 1945, LTjg. Royal J. Lee, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LSM-397 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LSM Flotilla Fourteen, LCDR. W. R. McCaleb;
     LSM Group Forty-Two;
     LSM Division Eighty-Three and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Borneo operations
    Balikpapan operation, 26 June to 6 July 1945

  • Following World War II LSM-397 served as a logistics support vessel for Naval Facilities in the Caribbean from May 1954 to February 1958
  • Decommissioned, 24 February 1958, at Charleston, S.C.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS LSM-397 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold, November 1958, to Ships Inc., Miami, FL., 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-396 88k LSM-308, and LSM-396 at the fitting out piers at US Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C. Other ships in this photo include LSM-309, LSM 389, LSM-390, LSM-391, LSM-392, LSM-393, LSM-394, LSM-395, LSM-397, LSM-398, Ray K. Edwards (APD-96), Arthur L. Bristol (APD-97), Truxtun (APD-98) and Upham (APD-99).
    US Navy Yard Charleston photo # 132-46, dated 10 January 1945.     		USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-397 110k USS LSM-397 under way off San Diego, CA., 28 July 1945.
    Photo by Oather Morper.    		 Bill Brinkley and the USS LSM-LSMR Association
    LSM-397 68k USS LSM-397 stands off shore as VADM Daniel E. Barbey USN COMPHIBLANT watches Marines haul a jeep from the surf after it had been submerged in a practice landing at Little Creek, VA. during Operation "CAMID".
    US Navy # NH 382512 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-397 79k USS LSM-397 beached, date and location unknown. USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-397 55k USS LSM-397 in the Arctic Ocean, summer-1951, as part of the convoy supporting the building of the US base at Thule Greenland, "Operation Bluejay." USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-397 115k USS LSM-397 alongside General A. W. Greely (T-AP-141), Thule Greenland in 1951,
    US Navy photo # NH 97108 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    LSM-397 89k USS LSM-397 alongside USNS General Stuart Heintzelman (T- AP-159), North Star Bay, Greenland. Note: the specially constructed ramp for transfer of contractor personnel between ships, date unknown)
    US Navy photo    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-397 61k USS LSM-397 in North Star Bay, Thule, Greenland, during Operation Blue Jay, 19 July 1951.
    US Navy photo.    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-397 48k USS LSM-397 under way, date and location unknown. USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-397 61k US LSM-397 moored at South Beach, Miami, FL., 29 June 1954. Photo by Raymond A. Biswanger, Jr., Ph.D., LT. USN (Ret) USS LSM-9 and USS LSM-538
    LSM-397/297 58k USS LSM-397 and LSM-297 moored at South Beach, Miami, FL., 29 June 1954. Photo by Raymond A. Biswanger, Jr., Ph.D., LT. USN (Ret) USS LSM-9 and USS LSM-538
    LSM-397/297 63k USS LSM-297 and USS LSM-397 moored at South Beach, Miami, FL., 29 June 1954. Photo by Raymond A. Biswanger, Jr., Ph.D., LT. USN (Ret) USS LSM-9 and USS LSM-538
    The history extract for USS LSM-397 is from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, © 1997. (ISBN 1-56311-389-9).
    Commanding Officers
    01LTjg. Lee, Royal J., USNR30 July 1945 - March 1946
    02LTjg. Hood, Frank O., USNRMarch 1946 - June 1946
    03LTjg. Davis, Preston Bryan, USNJune 1946 - ?
    07LT. Flynn, William Joseph, USN (USNA 1945)1952 - ?
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    USS LSM-LSMR Association
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 26 April 2019