USS St. Francis River (LSMR-525)

USS St. Francis River (LSM(R)-525)

USS St. Francis River (LSMR-525) circa 1966
History
United States
Name:	LSM(R)-525 (14 August 1945 – 1 October 1955) St. Francis River (1 October 1955 –)
Namesake:	Rivers in Missouri, Arkansas, Maine
Builder:	Brown Shipbuilding Company
Laid down:	19 May 1945
Launched:	16 June 1945
Commissioned:	14 August 1945 – 28 March 1946 16 September 1950 – 21 November 1955 18 September 1965 –
Reclassified:	LFR (1 January 1969)
Struck:	17 April 1970
Fate:	Sold for scrapping November 1970
General characteristics
Class & type:	LSM(R)-501-class landing ship medium (rocket)
Displacement:	758 t.(light) 993 t. (attack) 1,175 t. (fully loaded)
Length:	206 ft 3 in (62.87 m)
Beam:	34 ft 6 in (10.52 m)
Draft:	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) (light) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) (attack) 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) (fully loaded)
Installed power:	2 × General Motors (non-reversing with airflex clutch) diesels
Propulsion:	Direct drive with 1,440 bhp (1,070 kW) each at 720rpm, twin screws
Speed:	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Range:	3,000 mi (2,600 nmi; 4,800 km) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement:	6 officers, 137 enlisted
Armament:	1 × 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount 2 × twin 40mm gun mounts 4 × twin 20mm gun mounts 10 × twin continuous loading 5" SS rocket launchers 4 × 4".2 mortars

USS St. Francis River (LSM(R)-525) was laid down on 19 May 1945 by the Brown Shipbuilding Company in Houston, Texas. She was launched on 16 June 1945, and commissioned on 14 August 1945 as USS LSM(R)-525. She was later renamed after rivers in Missouri, Arkansas, and Maine.

Service History

After her shakedown, LSM(R)-525 was ordered to be inactivated, and reported to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet on 25 October 1945. She was decommissioned on 28 March 1946, and berthed at Green Cove Springs, Florida. The ship was activated after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, and was recommissioned on 16 September 1950.

Korean War

LSM(R)-525 entered the Korean combat zone on 17 July 1951, firing rockets at enemy positions at Wonsan. Operating out of Japan, she continued to carry out fire support missions against Wonsan into the fall. In mid-December, she returned to San Diego and remained on the West Coast during 1952. Departing San Diego on 12 January 1953, she arrived off Korea on 24 March, and served as gunfire support ship for the defense of Sok To, an island off Korea's west coast, southwest of Pyongyang and Chinampo.

After the truce, she returned to San Diego, arriving on 28 August 1953. A year later, on 20 September 1954, she sailed west again for her first post-Korean Conflict deployment. Routine operations took her into 1955; when, in February, she covered the evacuation of the Tachen Islands. Returning to the West Coast, LSM(R)-525 resumed 1st Fleet duties, and on 1 October, she was named USS St. Francis River, after rivers in Missouri, Arkansas, and Maine.

The ship was decommissioned on 21 November 1955, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet.

Vietnam

St. Francis River was recommissioned on 18 September 1965 at San Francisco. On 8 February 1966 she departed San Diego and sailed for her new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan. From Japan, she steamed south and arrived at Da Nang, South Vietnam, on 19 April, to begin operations in support of Allied forces fighting along the coast and in the Mekong Delta area. Rearmed regularly at Cam Rahn Bay and overhauled periodically at Yokosuka, St. Francis River provided rocket fire in support of Allied forces in South Vietnam from 1966 through 1969. During that period, her ability to coordinate her operations with the tactical situation ashore resulted in an impressive number of successful support missions.

Final Disposal

Reclassified as LFR-525 on 1 January 1969, St. Francis River was decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on 17 April 1970. She was sold in November 1970 to Nissho-Iwai American Corp., Sasebo, Japan, for scrapping.

Honors and Awards

LSM(R)-525 received three battle stars for Korean service and St. Francis River received ten campaign stars for Vietnam service.

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Photo gallery of USS St. Francis River at NavSource Naval History

LSM(R)-501-class landing ships medium (rocket) LSM(R)-501 / Elk River LSM(R)-502 / Escalante River LSM(R)-503 / Flambeau River LSM(R)-504 / Gila River LSM(R)-505 / Grand River LSM(R)-506 / Green River LSM(R)-507 / Greenbrier River LSM(R)-508 / Gunnison River / Targeteer LSM(R)-509 / Holston River LSM(R)-510 / James River LSM(R)-511 / John Day River LSM(R)-512 / Lamoille River LSM(R)-513 / Laramie River LSM(R)-514 / Maurice River LSM(R)-515 / Owyhee River LSM(R)-516 / Pearl River LSM(R)-517 / Pee Dee River LSM(R)-518 / Pit River LSM(R)-519 / Powder River LSM(R)-520 / Raccoon River LSM(R)-521 / Rainy River LSM(R)-522 / Red River LSM(R)-523 / Republican River LSM(R)-524 / Saint Croix River LSM(R)-525 / St. Francis River LSM(R)-526 / St. Johns River LSM(R)-527 / St. Joseph's River LSM(R)-528 / St. Marys River LSM(R)-529 / St. Regis River LSM(R)-530 / Salmon Falls River LSM(R)-531 / Smoky Hill River LSM(R)-532 / Smyrna River LSM(R)-533 / Snake River LSM(R)-534 / Thames River LSM(R)-535 / Trinity River LSM(R)-536 / White River   Other operators  German Navy Otter (ex-Smyrna River) Natter (ex-Thames River)  Republic of Korea Navy Si Hung (ex-St. Joseph's River)  Panamanian Public Forces ex-Smoky Hill River Preceded by: LSM(R)-401 class Followed by: None List of United States Navy amphibious warfare ships