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USS Raritan (LSM-540)
ex
 USS LSM-540 (1945 - 1959)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium:
  • Laid down, 10 May 1945, at Brown Shipbuilding Corp, Houston, TX.
  • Launched in August 1945
  • Commissioned USS LSM-540, 6 December 1945, LT. Roy T. Rector USNR in command
  • Decommissioned, 29 May 1946, at Green Cove Springs FL.
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs
  • Recommissioned, 4 November 1957
  • Named USS Raritan (LSM-540), 14 October 1959
  • Decommissioned, 1 December 1959, at Norfolk, VA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register 1 January 1960
  • Sold in the summer 1961 to the Norwegian Company LL Vestlandet Kraftsamband, arriving Norway, in the middle of August at Ålesund, north western Norway where she served in building of power lines, and transporting heavy items to trackless places, building span across fjords etc.
  • Re-sold in 1963 to Norges Vassdrags- og elektrisitetsvesen (NVE), and in use to 1967
  • Re-sold in 1969 to a British Company
  • 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 General Motors (model GM 16-278A, 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
    USS LSM-540
    LSM-538 68k USS LSM-540 and USS LSM-538 moored at Annex 2, Little Creek, VA. early-February 1946. Raymond A. Biswanger, Jr., Ph.D. LT. USN Ret. Commanding Officer USS LSM-538 January-May 1946
    LSM-558 90k 19 LSMs at Green Cove Springs, FL., date unknown. Ships present and identifiable are:
    Front Row: USS LSM-558, USS LSM-539, USS LSM-543 and USS LSM-544
    Second Row-?, USS LSM-413, USS LSM-542 and USS LSM-540
    Third Row- ?, ?, USS LSM-555 and ?.    		 Al Edwards USS LSM-343 to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    USS Raritan (LSM-540)
    LSM-540 101k USS Raritan (LSM-540) under way off Hampton Roads, VA. date unknown.
    Photo by Atlantic Fleet Sales Co. ©Warship Photo Graphs, Norfolk, VA.    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    Commercial Service
    LSM-540 239k Ex-USS Raritan in service as MS Vestkraft for the Norwegian Company LL Vestlanske Kraftsamband, beached in Esefjorden Fjord, a branch of Sognefjorden in October 1963.
    Source: Fossekallen 4/1963 (Company Magazine for Det norske vassdrags og elektrisitetsvesen (NVE)    		 Hermund Kleppa
    USS LSM 540 / USS Raritan (LSM-540)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Rector Roy T. USNR12 June 1945 - 15 May 1946
    02LT. McGirr, John L. USNR15 May 1946 - 10 November 1946
    03LTjg. Pobuda, Louis F.10 November 1946 - 15 March 1947
    04LT. DeBay, Charles15 March 1947 - 29 May 1947
     Decommissioned29 May 1947 - 4 November 1957
    06LT. Kearns Jr., William Anselm USN :RADMAugust 1958
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    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 8 December 2017