Landing Craft Support

Class overview
Ex-LCS(L)-102 (HTMS Nakha)
Builders:	George Lawley & Son, Commercial Iron Works and Albina Engine Works
Preceded by:	LCI(G)
In commission:	1944
Completed:	130
Active:	0
Retired:	130
Preserved:	1?
General characteristics
Displacement:	250 long tons (254 t)
Length:	158 ft 6 in (48.31 m)
Beam:	23 ft 3 in (7.09 m)
Draft:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) (aft, loaded)
Propulsion:	eight Gray Marine diesel engines, 1,600 hp (1,200 kW), twin screws
Speed:	16.5 knots (30.5 km/h)
Range:	5500 miles
Complement:	3–6 officers, 55–68 men
Armament:	single 3"50, twin 40 mm or single 40 mm bow gun; 2 twin 40 mm deck guns (one forward, one aft); 4 20 mm cannons; 4 .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns; ten MK7 rocket launchers
Armor:	10-lb. STS splinter shields

The Landing Craft, Support (Large) — later reclassified Landing Ship Support, Large — class of amphibious warfare ships were used by the United States Navy in World War II in the Pacific. They were primarily used for close support before landing forces on beaches. They also performed radar picket duty and fire fighting. They were nicknamed the "Mighty Midgets".

The original designation for the ships was LCS(L)(3), which stood for "Landing Craft Support (Large) Mark 3". In 1949 the class was reclassified to "Landing Ship Support, Large" (LSSL). The USN had to have the designation LCS(L) because there was also a smaller class named LCL, that were built mainly for rescue and smoke laying during amphibious operation.^[1]

Design and manufacture

Builders progress photo of LCS(L)(3)-26, Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR., 21 July 1944.

A total of 130 were made. Three different ship building yards did the construction: George Lawley & Son (Neponset, Massachusetts); Commercial Iron Works (Portland, Oregon); and Albina Engine Works (Portland, Oregon).

The hull was the same as the Landing Craft Infantry ships. They were 158 ft 6 in (48.3 m) long, displaced 250 long tons (254 t), 23 ft 3 in (7.1 m) wide and drew 5 ft 10 in (1.7 m) when fully loaded. The flat bottom and skegs between and on either side of the twin screws allowed the ships to safely beach. The anchor is at the stern of the ship so it can be used to help pull the ship off the beach if necessary.

The twin variable pitch screws were each driven by a bank of four Grey Marine (later General Motors) diesel engines, with a total power for all eight engines of 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW). These engines gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.5 km/h), but normally the ships sailed at 12 knots (22.2 km/h). The ships had a range of 5500 miles.

Armour for the gun mounts, pilot house and conning tower was provided by 10-lb. STS splinter shields.

The ships could be built in as little as 10 days, and final fitting out would take a further few weeks.

The LCS(L)(3) ships provided more firepower per ton than any ship ever built for the U.S. Navy. Three guns and 10 rocket launchers were the main armaments. The bow gun was a 3"/50 caliber gun, a single 40 mm gun or a twin 40 mm gun. The forward and aft deck guns were twin 40 mm gun. The 10 mark 7 rocket launchers were situated behind the bow gun and forward deck house. Four 20 mm cannons were also mounted and other arms stowed inside. The rifle locker held 4 M1 carbines, 4 Thompson sub machine guns, and 1911A1 45cal semi auto pistols.

The ships had a smoke generator which was used to obscure landing craft approaching the beach.

The ships also made very good fire fighting ships. A fire fighting manifold was fitted in front of the bow gun and two monitors with pumps fitted just forward of the aft gun.

British LCS vessels

The British also designed, built and operated a small number (ten) of Fairmile Type H LCS vessels. Three of these were sunk in action.^[2]

Operations

A group of LSSLs awaiting transfer to the ROK Navy in 1952

The Battle of Tarawa showed a gap in Navy resources for close in support of landing troops. The time interval between the end of shelling from the large ships and the arrival of the landing craft on the beach allowed the defenders to regroup. The Landing Craft Support was designed to fill this void.

The first Landing Craft Support ships arrived in the Pacific Theater in time for the landings at Iwo Jima.

After providing close in support during the landings at Okinawa, many Landing Craft Support ships were placed on the radar picket stations as anti-aircraft platforms. When not on a picket stations, the ship would create smoke to hide the fleet at anchor and perform "skunk patrol" screening for suicide boats.

In the Borneo Campaign, Landing Craft Support was used in landings in Tarakan and Balikpapan.

During World War II, six LCS(L)(3)s were sunk and 21 were damaged. Three of these small warships received Presidential Unit Citations, while six were awarded Navy Unit citations. Importantly, LT Richard M. McCool, skipper of the USS LCS(L)(3) 122, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Post war

At the end of the war, surviving ships returned to the United States. Some were restored to action for the Korean War. Many were transferred to Japan, France (and on to South Vietnam), Cambodia, Thailand, Greece, and other nations.

Only two ships are known to still exist. One has been highly modified as a fishing boat. The second was in Thailand and was kept in very similar configuration to its original (HTMS Nakha, formerly USS LCS(L)102). The National Association of USS LCS(L) 1–130 was successful in having the HTMS Nakha transferred to the association for public display in the United States. She was officially released from the Royal Thai Navy on November 10, 2007 after being returned to the USA in September of that year. As of May 2010 the USS LCS(L)102 is under restoration and upkeep. It is open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays or by special arrangements, and tours at the former Naval Ship yard, Mare Island, in Vallejo, California. (now the Mare Island Historic Park).^[3]

References

Notes

↑ "Rocket Boats Lay Smoke Screen For Landings. Popular Mechanics, February 1945, p. 28.
↑ Lambert, John and Ross, Al . Allied Coastal Forces of World War Two, Volume I : Fairmile designs and US Submarine Chasers. 1990. ISBN 978-0-85177-519-7.
↑ "Last WW II Landing Craft Support Ship Still Afloat in Vallejo, Calif.". Contra Costa Times. Sep 11, 2013.

Bibliography

NavSource photo archive page for the LSSL/LCS(L) class
HyperWar US Navy Landing Ships/Craft
Construction Records and Disposition summaries
French Riverine Craft, where some of the LSSL ended up
Vic Smeed's Model Maker Annual, 1963. No ISBN.
Mighty Midgets — Official website of the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1–130

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