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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LSM-18


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Bravo - India
 NVBI
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) [Ormoc Bay, P.I., 7 December 1944]
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Individual Awards

Purple Heart (1-KIA Ormoc Bay, P.I., 7 December 1944)
LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium:
  • Laid down, 10 April 1944, at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX.
  • Launched, 7 May 1944
  • Commissioned USS LSM-18, 14 June 1944, LT. William B. Wilder USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LSM-18 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 13 October to 29 November 1944
    Ormoc landings, 7 to 8 December 1944     		Consolidation and capture of the Southern Philippines
    Mindanao Island landings, 10 March, 17 April to 23, April and , 10 to 16 May 1945
    Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 16 to 18 January 1945     		Borneo operation
    Balikpapan operation, 26 June to 6 July 1945
    Manila Bay-Bicol operations
    Mariveles-Corregidor landings, 14 to 28 February 1945     		 

  • Following World War II USS LSM-18 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 2 to 23 September 1945
  • Decommissioned, 26 March 1946, at Terminal Island, CA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 17 April 1946
  • USS LSM-18 earned five battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold to A. G. Schoonmaker Co, N.Y., 16 February 1947, for conversion to a barge
    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 Fairbanks Morse (model 38D81/8X10, 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
    LSM-18
    101401805    		 371k LSM-18 (Task Unit 78.2.5 Flagship) beached on Leyte, Philippines, October-December 1944.
    "Leyte by Carl Mydans 1944-12" Life Magazine TimeLife_Image_115926290 For personal non-commercial use only.    		 David Upton
    LSM-18 74k USS LSM-18 at left and USS LSM-51 at right unloading at Ormoc Bay, Philippine Islands, 7 December 1944.
    US Navy photo # NH 26580.    		 Bill Brinkley and the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-18
    101401803    		 372k US Army stevedores unload supplies from USS LSM-18 beached at Leyte, December 1944
    "Leyte by Carl Mydans 1944-12" Life Magazine TimeLife_Image_115926289 For personal non-commercial use only.    		 David Upton
    LSM-18
    101401804    		 312k A small cat towing a 105mm howitzer down the ramp of USS LSM-18 onto the beach.
    "Leyte by Carl Mydans 1944-12" Life Magazine TimeLife_Image_115926281 For personal non-commercial use only.    		 David Upton
    LSM-18 78k USS LSM-18 approaching the beach, date and location unknown. At far right is another LSM which is unidentified. USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-133/18 136k USS LSM-18 and USS LSM-138 unloading over the beach at Zamboanga, Mindanao, 1 April 1945.
    US National Archives Photo # 80-G-359833, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives. Courtesy Ken Roberts.    		 Bill Brinkley and the USS LSM-LSMR Association
    The history extract for USS LSM-18 is from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, © 1997. (ISBN 1-56311-389-9)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Wilder, William B., USNR14 June 1944 - November 1945
    02LTjg. McKenzie, Donald Eugene, USNNovember 1945 - 26 March 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 8 October 2021