- USS Oceanside (LSM-175)
The USS "Oceanside" (LSM-175) was one of 558 "LSM-1"-class
landing ship medium (a form ofamphibious assault ship ) built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II . Named for the town ofOceanside, California , she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.Originally laid down as LCT (7)–1675 on
11 July 1944 at theCharleston Naval Shipyard ; launched3 August 1944 ; sponsored by Miss Emily V. Jackson; and commissioned25 September 1944 . Following aChesapeake Bay shakedown, LSM–175 departed the east coast, transited thePanama Canal , and continued on toSan Diego , arriving1 December . From San Diego, she proceeded toSan Francisco , then toPearl Harbor and theSolomon Islands . Arriving atFlorida Island 20 February , she trained for her first campaign,Okinawa . She departed the Solomons12 March , staged atUlithi , then steamed west, arriving off theHagushi beaches on westernOkinawa 1 April . As the assault forces streamed ashore, LSM–175 unloaded transport & and cargo vessels. At 0910 an enemy plane was taken under fire. In the course of the fightantiaircraft projectiles struck in the LSM’s well deck, wounding 9 embarked marines and 2 "bluejackets". On the 6th, she again turned her guns on an enemy plane and assisted in splashing it 600 yards off the starboard bow. On20 April she got underway for Ulithi, whence she steamed toLeyte , arriving28 May . For the remainder of the War LSM–175 carried rolling stock and mixed cargo to theMarianas and amongst thePhilippines , returning to Okinawa in mid-August. Through September she operated in the Philippines and in October shifted toJapan for brief duty with the occupation forces. Arriving inTokyo Bay 8 October she sailed for theUnited States in late November. On26 December she arrived at San Diego, then, in February, 1946 steamed to San Francisco where she decommissioned11 July 1946 . Reactivated four years later, LSM–175 was recommissioned8 September 1950 . Homeported at San Diego, she trained marines andseabees in amphibious operations until30 June 1955 . Transferred to the 11th Naval District on that date, she was decommissioned and placed in service on30 October . Disarmed and with a reduced crew, the LSM then took up logistic support of the islands in that district. Homeported at Long Beach in October, 1956 and renamed USS "Oceanside" (LSM-175) on14 October 1959 she served the 11th Naval District until 1961. On1 February of that year she was placed out of service and struck from theNaval List .The ship was transferred to the custody of the
Republic of Vietnam on1 August 1961 to serve in theVietnam People's Navy as RVNS "Huong Giang" (HQ-404). TheFall of Saigon resulted in RVNS "Huong Giang" (HQ-404) escaping on30 April 1975 toSubic Bay , where custody was transferred to theRepublic of the Philippines on17 November 1975 ThePhilippine Navy renamed her BRP "Batanes" (LP65); the ship was disposed of in 1989. Her final fate is unknown. LSM–175 received onebattle star for World War II service.References
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* cite web|title=LSM-175 "Oceanside"|work=Amphibious Photo Archive
url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/14/14175.htm|accessdate=April 9|accessyear=2007ee also
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List of United States Navy LSMs
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