Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Sunk by Kamikaze attack off Okinawa, 25 May 1945

USS LSM-135


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Kilo - Juliet
 NVKJ
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 25 May 1945 off Okinawa) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Individual Awards

Purple Hearts (11 KIA and unknown number wounded 25 May 1945)
LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium:
  • Laid down, 13 March 1944, at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.
  • Launched, 23 April 1944
  • Commissioned USS LSM-135, 31 May 1944, LT. Harry L. Derby Jr. USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LSM-135 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operations
    Leyte landings, 20 to 22 October 1944
    Ormoc Bay landings, 7 to 8 December 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 25 May 1945
    Luzon operations
    Lingayen Gulf landing, 9 January 1945     		 

  • For the Okinawa campaign USS LSM-135 was assigned to:
    LSM Flotilla Three, CDR. W. F. Morrison USN (35);
     LSM Group Eight, LCDR. J. G. Blanche USN (25);
     LSM Division Fifteen
    Sunk by Kamikaze attack off Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 25 May 1945 at approximately 0830 hours. USS LSM-135 had only been in service 11 months and 25 days. At the time of her sinking USS LSM-135 was picking up survivors from the minesweeper USS Spectacle (AM-305) when it also was hit by Kamikaze attack and burst into flames. USS Flemming (DE-32) rescued twenty survivors of the USS Bates (APD-47) (which was sinking from two Kamikaze hits) and eleven survivors from USS LSM-135
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS LSM-135 earned three battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, hulk donated, 10 July 1957, to the Government of the Ryukyu Islands, 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 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
    LST-1024 234k USS LSM-135 beached at Leyte, 22 October 1944. Other naval units present include an unidentified LCT and USS LST-1024. Note the beachmaster signalman on the beach directing the approach of a ship of landing craft onto the beach. Donn Cuson
    LSM-135 403k USS LSM-135, USS LSM-24, LCT-1326 and other landing craft unloading cargo on Ie Shima, Ryukyu Islands, 24 April 1945.
    US National Archives photo # 080-G-321772, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Arthur Tarpinian, USS LSM-135
    LSM-135
    101413518    		 293k USS LSM-135, and USS LST-787 unloading equipment of the 318th Fighter Group at Ie Shima, Ryukyu Islands, 29 April 1945. Driving Jeep Is Cpl. Giles N. Ragsdale, Malden, Missouri, 19th Fighter Squadron, 318Th Fighter Group. David Upton
    LSM-26 49k USS LSM-87, USS LSM-135 and USS LSM-26 beached at Ie Shima, early May 1945. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 49k USS LSM-135 beached at Ie Shima, May 1945. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 74k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. Superstructure looking forward. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 52k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. Starboard quarter view showing damage to the conn where Kamikaze struck directly on the top of the conning tower. Ie Shima is in the background. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 40k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. Ie Shima is in the background. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 50k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. Port quarter view showing damage to conn. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 47k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. Port side view showing extent of damage. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 86k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. Interior view showing extent of damage to the conn. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 72k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. View of the top of the conning tower showing extent of damage where the Kamikaze plane struck.
    LSM-135 70k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. View from the bridge looking through the water on the starboard side showing bomb hole forward of the No. 3 gun tub on the superstructure deck. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 78k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. Interior view of radio shack showing extent of damage. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-135 53k USS LSM-135 after being sunk off Ie Shima by Japanese Kamikaze the morning of 25 May 1945. View of the bridge from the starboard side. Charles Bauman to the USS LSM / LSMR Association
    The history extract for LSM-135 is from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, © 1997. (ISBN 1-56311-389-9)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Derby Jr., Harry L., USNR31 May 1944 - 25 May 1945KIA by Kamikaze attack
    02LTjg. Jenkins, Benjamin N., USNR25 May 1945 - 25 May 1945sunk, 25 May 1945, senior surviving officer
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    USS LSM-LSMR Association
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Landing Ship Medium (LSM) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 15 January 2021