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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LSM-450

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium:

Laid down, 4 October 1944, at Western Pipe and Steel Co., San Pedro, CA.

Launched, 3 December 1944

Commissioned USS LSM-450, 18 January 1945, LTjg. William J. Waters USNR in command

During World War II USS LSM-450 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LSM Flotilla Thirteen, LCDR. C. L. Weigle USN (27);
LSM Group Thirty-Eight (flagship), LCDR. T. F. Lane USNR;
LSM Division Seventy-Six

Following World War II USS LSM-450 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
23 September to 14 November 1945	4 August 1946 to 13 March 1947
27 July to 3 August 1946

Decommissioned, 17 July 1947, at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

Final Disposition, sold in February 1948, to Crowley Launch & Tugboat Co., San Francisco, CA., 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

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
87k	USS LSM-450 under way coming alongside another LSM, date and location unknown.	T.D. Burns to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
68k	USS LSM-450 under way in San Francisco Bay, circa 1945-46. US Navy photo # NH 84898 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, courtesy D.M. McPherson, 1976.	USS LSM / LSMR Association
55k	USS LSM-450 under way, date and location unknown.	USS LSM / LSMR Association

Commanding Officers
01	LTjg. Waters, William J., USNR	18 January 1945 - January 1946
02	LTjg. Kiely Jr., John C., USNR	January 1946 - March 1946
03	LTjg. Baxter, Elvis M., USNR	March 1946 - June 1946
04	LT. Jackson, Chester Valentine, USN	June 1946 to 17 July 1947


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Action Report - Landing of Occupation Forces, Nagasaki Japan, September 1945

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 2 January 2026