LSM
HOME PORT, LANDING SHIP MEDIUM, LSM AND LSM/R
ABOUT
This page, currently under construction, is a tribute to the men of the U.S. Navy who served aboard a group of smal l, flat-bottom ships that were designed specifically for the Pacific island-hopping campaign of World War Two. We especially honor the Oklahoma Sandscrapers, the original LSM veterans’ state organization.

Donations of photos, stories, letters and memorabilia are welcome. We’ll make an effort to include all historical items. Contact us for details about submitting materials and weblinks. LSM’ers, we salute you and everyone like you for saving the world.

Joe Johnston
Proud son of an LSM veteran


LINKS
navsource.org/archives/10/14idx.htm
dd-692.com/comdesro.htm
geocities.com/Pentagon/Base/4109/lsm51.html
microworks.net/pacific/		 NEWS

Aussies Practice with LSM 42
Australian troops practice unloading their DUKW from LSM 42, with her bow doors open. This was on the practice beach at Moratai, in preparation for landing at Balikpapan. Notice LSM crew on the ramp and conning tower of another LSM to the right.
Balikapan Operation
I’se in the Borneo landing at Balikpapan on July 2nd. As far as I know it as all Aussies, and quite a noisy operation, but that was expected, since the Japs were determined to hold those oil wells. We were the first LSM to go close to the beach but all went well until afternoon at which time the Japs began throwing shells into the water. We didn’t beach again until next morning (while they were having their rice). Ha Our planes bombed the oil wells causeing smoke and flames to rise thousands of feet, and at night the place was bright as day from the burning oil tanks. They are probably still burning. The place was well mined, and up and down the beach the Japs had driven iron points in the sand to keep a landing off, but we beached anyway. Was quite interesting, but who in heck wants such things to interest him.

C. Ray Johnston
MoMM2
Leyte Gulf 1944
LSM 42 during unloading operations at Leyte Gulf.
Not Forgotten
One of the sketches dad made while he was in the Navy was of LSM 131, laying off a moonlit beach. I located 11 surviving members of the 131 crew, made copies of the sketch, and mailed the pictures to them with a note of explanation. Yesterday's mail brought this note:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE SKETCH OF OUR LSM 131, WHICH YOUR DAD MADE. I WAS DEEPLY MOVED AND THRILLED BY THE WHOLE SCENE.

WHILE I SAT AND STARED AT IT, MY MIND WANDERED BACK TO THAT TIME IN THE PHILIPPINES.

THANK YOUR DAD AND THANK YOU!

(I THOUGHT EVERYONE FORGOT.)

KINDEST REGARDS,
ARNOLD N

Please, never pass up an opportunity to let the quickly-disappearing greatest generation know that we will never forget.
Ormoc Invasion and sinking of the U.S.S. Reid
Ormoc was the first action for the new crew of LSM 42, 3 months after leaving the US, as detailed in dad's letter.

DECK LOGS OF THE USS BUSH

Location: Tarraguna Point, Leyte Island, PhilippinesDate: Friday 8 December, 19441435-In accordance with secret movement order 1-44-7 December, 1944 underway in company with TU 77.3.8 consisting of amphibious convoy screened by the following destroyers: USS NEWCOMB(ComDesRon56 OTC), USS LAVELETTE, USS HOPEWELL, USS O'BANNON, USS HOWORTH, USS HALFORD and USS BUSH. Convoy consisting of the following amphibious vessels in four columns as follows: Column No. 1 LCI 748, LSM 42, LSM 148, and LSM 150; column No. 2 LCI 750, LSM 316, and LSM 317; column No. 3 LCI 960, LSM 40, LSM 151, LSM 267, and PCER 851; column No. 4 LCI 747, LSM 38, LSM 37, LSM 39, interval 400 yards and distance 300 yards. Took departure for Tarraguna Point, Leyte Island for Ormoc Bay, Leyte Island on course 130oT., 140opsc at 10 knots(98 rpm) in anti-aircraft formation Dog 1, with BUSH patrolling station astern of formation at 12 knots(118 rpm).... E. E. Sechrist, Lt.(jg), USNR.

Location: Ormoc Bay, Leyte Island, PhilippinesDate: Saturday 9 December, 19440429-Landing craft proceeded to landing beach independently. 0440-Destroyers maneuvered to take assigned patrol stations. USS BUSH northern destroyer 4000 yards from beach. USS NEWCOMB guided landing craft to beach.....0732-In accordance with verbal orders of CDS 56, USS BUSH left patrol station to undertake fire support mission. 0759-Resumed patrol having been unable to contact shore fire control party......0807-Landing craft ordered by CTU 75.3.8 to retract and rendezvous. 0810-Established communications with shore fire control party.....0829-Took station for shore bombardment approximately 8,000 yards off the beach.....0834-USS BUSH commenced firing on assigned targets of troop concentrations. 0851-Ceased firing having expended 39 rounds AA common projectiles and 39 smokeless powder cartridges of mixed lots and indices.... N. P. Foss, Lt.(jg), USN.

____________________

ORMOC
By RAY JOHNSTON – LSM 42

We left Galveston Sept 9th, arriving in Panama the 19th where we stayed two days getting liberty both days. Our next stop was Bora Bora in the Liberty Group. There we stayed two days…no liberty…from there to Esperito-Santo, then to Manus(?). Still no liberty. As we left Manus a repair shop blew up about 5 min after we passed it and men and pieces of ship went through the air hundreds of feet. We were jarred a bit but not hurt. Next we left Hollandia and from there to Leyte arriving here Dec. 7th. At that time the Japs were raiding continuously. So we were GQ most of the time, and at all hours of the day & night. A landing was made at Ormoc the 7th by part of our flotilla, losing two LSM’s by suicide planes. We loaded the 8th & left for our first Invasion. Six LSM’s & nine destroyers. We left about 3 o’clock, supposed to arrive at Ormoc before daybreak next morning.

We beached about 3 mi down the beach from where D-Day was made. At the time the Japs were unloading men & supplies in the town of Ormoc so our destroyers had quite a battle. But we unloaded in the dark & were on our way before the Japs knew we had been there. Our destroyers sank a transport & a couple of landing craft, which are still sticking our of the water.

That trip was a success, everything coming back safely. We loaded again the 11th & left again around 3:00 for Ormoc…this trip included 7 destroyers, 6 LSM’s & some LSI’s. About five that eve we were attacked by 13 planes, two of which made suicide dives on one of our destroyers (note: this was the Reid), sinking it right in front of our ship in two minutes. We had 4 Corsairs for plane protection but of course the odds were against them. But they pulled through. We picked up over one hundred survivors off the destroyer, some of them in pretty bad shape. Burns, broken arms and legs, etc. We turned our clothing & sacks over to them so you can imagine the mess we had on this ship. Oh yes, we rec’d a commendation for picking up survivors. This was something rather hard to tell. One fellow was trying to hand on a life raft & was so badly cut to pieces he just couldn’t make it. He kept yelling for help but as I watched him his hands gradually gave way, and he slowly went down. Well here we missed another chance to die as this half--- skipper pulled our ship right over the destroyer that sank, but the good Lord was with us & no explosions occurred.

We continued on to Ormoc, arriving about daybreak. The Japs were looking for us & kept blinking for us to beach in their little trap but we followed our instructions & beached where we were supposed to. We unloaded OK but when we tried to get off the beach found we were stuck on a sunken Jap barge. During all that time the Jap big guns were shooting at our destroyers setting out. But they were unable to see us.

Well, the convoy pulled out about daylight leaving us & another ship stuck on the beach. We finally about 7:00 called another LSM back to pull us off. But one of our screws was messed up by a rope. So we could only run on one engine. We left the other ship on the beach & started out by ourselves. Pulled up the beach about 3 mi & unloaded our survivors to the army hospital, planning to lay around the beach until dark, but the army advised against it cause the Japs were coming over bombing every evening about 5:00. So we decided to hug the beach & continue best we could. By the time we unloaded survivors the other LSM had gotten off the beach & caught up with us so we had company. Thank God. We traveled the entire day hugging the beach. But about 4:30 7 planes came over & all hell broke loose. They dropped 4 bombs that all missed us but raised the ass end out of the water breaking braces & screws. The planes did a lot of straffing, hitting 6 of our men & 7 on the other ship. We saw it was useless so we sent out an S.O.S. for help, but couldn’t reach Leyte. But again the good Lord was with us & a destroyer on patrol caught the message & relayed it on so in about 5 min we saw 4 P-38 coming in & the Japs took tail, what we hadn’t shot down, which was two.

During that time we had beached & started to abandon ship. That was the longest walk I’ve ever taken, but we all got ashore with our casualties. We hid in the jungles & swamps & in the native huts until dark expecting the Japs to return & bomb the ship. One fellow died there, but the others were dressed & put on stretchers. About 9:00 we went back to our ships and got under way again. But the other ship had been shot up so bad we couldn’t make much speed. But during everything the other ship rammed us, putting quite a hold in our side & again cutting 3 fellows up pretty bad. Well, we tied the other ship alongside & started on our way again, but then a plane was picked up. So we cut all motors & just drifted hoping the plane would think we were an island. Guess he did, cause he came within a mi of us & couldn’t find us. So we continued on getting inLeyte about 3:00 the next afternoon. Well, they had us listed as missing, but we fooled em.

That’s the story of the Ormoc affair. Some of the fellows were transferred to other ships & continued making the Ormoc run but they stayed in fox holes during the day & came back out at night.
Tokyo Bay 1945
LSM 42 was part of the occupying force after the surrender. Here she is shown with other LSM's after unloading at Tokyo Bay. She went on to complete several missions, moving men and supplies around the Japanese Islands.
Training for Balikpapan
May 29, 1945. LSM 42 pulls off the beach at Moratai during training exercises for the invasion of Balikpapan, the last island invasion of WWII. Photo taken by Stoker Laurie Johnson, aboard the HMAS Manoora, is the only known photo of LSM 42 underway. The invasion was mainly carried out by the Aussies, with U.S. Navy support.

My father, C. Ray Johnston, can be seen perched on the railing beside his battle station, a 50-cal with no armor.
WHO DONE IT - Ship's Poem
Here’s to the men
Who make up the crew
Of the Landing Ship Medium
Number 42

They work damn hard
And sleep when they can
You can tell at first sight
That each one is all man.

Forty nine men
Working as one
Cursing and sweating,
Yet having fun.

The ship, a new kind
A strange looking craft
Rides like a wild horse
She hasn’t much draft.

She tosses and rolls,
Shivers and shakes,
Got more wiggles
Than a barrel of snakes.

But I spite of all this
Rabble and rout
The crew of 42
Knows what it’s about.

We sight strange lands
A beach, a tree,
When we long for life
As it used to be.

A home, a wife,
A dog and some kids
Not wire rope, grommets
Prickers and fids.

We lay in our bunks
And dream of our bed.
We remember her looks
And just what she said.

The food comes in trays
And all of us wish
We could swap the darn thing
For an old fashioned dish.





But on we go
Eating and sleeping
Constantly scrubbing
Scraping and sweeping.

We keep the ship clean
As surely we must,
Gathering up paint scales
Bread crumbs and rust.

We are all volunteers
(like heck we did)
To come to sea
On this ocean skid.

So you see, all of us knew
What was in store.
After all that’s happened
Could there be more?

The engines break down
We rig for tow,
But the engineroom shouts
We’re ready, let’s go.

So go we did,
We’re on our way
To contact the enemy
And make him pay.

For the damage he’s done
For the hits he’s scored
And for making us ride
This shuffle board.

We’ll hit the beach
And wipe him clean,
Man: this LSM
Is a fighting machine.

When the war is over
And the fighting done,
We’ll turn in our gear
And home we’ll run.

When we reach our place
And open the door,
Please let things be
As they were before.

- C. Ray Johnston, MoM1, USNR 1945