USS LCS(L)(3)-102

USS LCS(L)(3)-102 is an LCS(L)(3)-1 Class Landing Craft Support ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. The vessel was completed near the end of the war and saw brief service during the Battle of Okinawa. After the war, LCS(L)(3)-102 served in China before being decommissioned in 1946 and then transferred to Japan in mid-1953. Serving under the name JDS Himawari, the vessel remained in Japan until mid-1966 when she was transferred to Thailand, becoming the HTMS Nakha. In 2007, after being retired, the ship was returned to the United States to become a museum ship.

USS LCS(L)-102 at Vallejo, California, 2007
History
United States
NameLCS(L)(3)-102
Laid down13 January 1945
Launched3 February 1945
Commissioned17 February 1945
ReclassifiedLSSL-102, 28 February 1949
FateTransferred to Japan, 30 April 1953
Honors and
awards		one battle star
JapanJapan
NameHimawari
Acquired30 April 1953
Out of service1966
FateTransferred to Thailand, 18 April 1966
ThailandThailand
NameNakha
NamesakeNakha Islands
Acquired1966
Out of serviceSeptember 2007
IdentificationHull number: LSSL-751
FateReturned to the US, became a museum ship since September 2007
General characteristics
Class and typeLCS(L)(3)-1 Class Landing Craft Support ship
Displacement
  • 250 tons (light);
  • 387 tons (full load)
Length158 ft (48 m)
Beam23 ft 8 in (7.21 m)
Draft5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
PropulsionDiesel engines
Speed16.5 knots (max); 12 knots (econ)
Range5,500 nautical miles at 12 knots
Complement8 officers, 70 enlisted
Armament
Armor10-lb. STS splinter shields
USS LCS-102 (Landing Craft Support)
LocationVallejo, California
NRHP reference No.15000716
Added to NRHPOctober 13, 2015
USS LCS (L) (3) 102 at Mare Island, California, 2016

Now the sole remaining vessel of her class, she remains docked at the site of the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, in Vallejo, CA.

Design and construction

USS LCS(L)(3)-102 was laid down 13 January 1945 at Commercial Iron Works in Portland, Oregon. The vessel was launched on 3 February 1945 and commissioned on 17 February.[1] As built, the vessel displaced 250-tons without load, and 387 tons at full load. She was 158 feet (48 m) long, with a beam of 23 feet 6 inches (7.16 m) and a draft of 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m). With a crew of six officers and 65 enlisted personnel, at maximum endurance she had a range of 5,500 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots; power was provided by two propellers that were driven by four General Motors 6-71 per-shaft 1,600 horse power diesel engines.

Armament

She was armed with an array of weapons, including: a single 3-inch gun mounted on her bow; two twin-mounted 40mm anti-aircraft guns; four single-mounted 20mm anti-aircraft guns; four .50 caliber machine-guns and ten rocket launchers. Armor included 10-pound (4.5 kg) splinter shields which were placed on the gun mounts, the pilot house and the conning tower.[1][2]

Her ten Mk7 rocket launchers were removed sometime after decommissioning, presumably before transfer into the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Operational history

After commissioning, the LCS(L)(3)-102 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. World War II was in its final stages at the time, but she arrived in time to participate in the Battle of Okinawa, participating in the Gunto operation between 18 and 30 June 1945.[1][2]

She was pulled off line to perform mine removal in the Philippines, before doing the same in the Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands, and rivers in China.

At the end of the war, USS LCS(L)(3)-102 served as part of the occupation forces in Japan until December 1945 when it was moved to China before being deemed surplus and decommissioned in April 1946 and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, in Astoria, Oregon. Redesignated Landing Ship Support Large, USS "LSSL-102", on 28 February 1949 she was soon transferred to Japan, 30 April 1953, and renamed JDS Himawari where she served until 18 April 1966 when she was brought to the US, re-transferred to Thailand and renamed HTMS Nakha (LSSL-751). She stayed in Thailand until 2007.[1]

USS LCS(L)(3)-102 earned one battle star for her service in World War II.[1]

Museum ship (2007-present)

A transfer ceremony was held on May 22, 2007, to transfer custody of the ship from the Royal Thai Navy to the National Association of LCS(L) 1–130.[3]

In September 2007, she was loaded aboard a ship for transit from Thailand back to the United States to become a museum ship at Mare Island, California.[4][5] The National Association of LCS(L) 1-130 is now officially known as the Landing Craft Support Museum, and continues to preserve and restore the 102.

She is now located on Mare Island, at the site of the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The museum is open to the public from 9 to 3 Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, or by prior arrangements.

The 102 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

References
  1. "USS LSSL-102". Amphibious Photo Archive. NavSource Online. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  2. "LCS-102 and YTL-434: WWII Memorials". Navy Memorieshop.com. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  3. "102 Retrieval". Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  4. "Mare Island Historic Park Foundation". Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  5. "Last WW II Landing Craft Support Ship Still Afloat in Vallejo, Calif". Contra Costa Times. 11 September 2013.

Further reading
  • Baker, A.D. (1989). Allied Landing Craft of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute Press.
  • Rielly, Robin L. (2000). Mighty Midgets at War: The Saga of the LCS(L) Ships from Iwo Jima to Vietnam. Central Point, Oregon: Hellgate Press. ISBN 1-55571-522-2.

38.106128°N 122.273799°W / 38.106128; -122.273799

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