USS LSM-60

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

LSM-60 with modifications for the Baker Test, Bikini Atoll
LSM-60 with modifications for the Baker Test, Bikini Atoll
History
United States
NameUSS LSM-60
Builder
Houston, Texas
Laid down7 July 1944
Launched29 July 1944
Commissioned25 August 1944
Honors and
awards		1
battle star
(World War II)
FateDestroyed during "Operation Crossroads" Test Baker, 25 July 1946
General characteristics
Class and type
LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium
Displacement
  • 520 long tons (528 t) light
  • 743 long tons (755 t) landing
  • 1,095 long tons (1,113 t) full load
Length203 ft 6 in (62.03 m) o/a
Beam34 ft 6 in (10.52 m)
Draft
  • 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) forward
  • 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) aft
  • Fully loaded :
  • 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) forward
  • 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m) aft
Propulsion2 × Fairbanks-Morse (model 38D81/8X10, reversible with hydraulic clutch) diesels. Direct drive with 1,440 bhp (1,074 kW) each @ 720 rpm, twin screws
Speed13.2 knots (15.2 mph; 24.4 km/h)
Range4,900 nmi (9,100 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h)
Capacity5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVT's, or 9 DUKW's
Troops2 officers, 46 enlisted
Complement5 officers, 54 enlisted
Armament6 ×
gun mounts
Armour10-lb. STS splinter shield to gun mounts, pilot house and conning station

USS LSM-60 was a

fission bomb underwater during the Operation Crossroads BAKER test, becoming the first naval vessel to deploy a nuclear weapon.[1]

World War II Service

LSM-60's keel was laid on 7 July 1944 and she was launched on 29 July.

USNR, commanding.[3]

LSM-60 participated in the

battle star.[3]

Operation Crossroads "ground" zero

LSM-60 is destroyed as part of the Operation Crossroads BAKER test
See also: Operation Crossroads

In 1946, the

nuclear weapon tests designed to measure nuclear explosion effects on ships, Operation Crossroads
. The second shot of this test, BAKER, was designed to test the effects of an underwater nuclear blast on surface ships and submarines.

LSM-60 was modified with a well through the cargo deck and hull, a derrick to lower the bomb through the well, and a large antenna to receive the detonation signal. On 25 July, a standard Mk. 3A "Fat Man" type atomic bomb, nicknamed Helen of Bikini, placed in a watertight casing, was suspended 90 feet below LSM-60 in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.[4] At 0835 local time the bomb was detonated, destroying LSM-60 and eight target ships, including USS Saratoga (CV-3).[5] A seaman present claimed that "there was not one identifiable piece of the LSM-60 ever located",[4] however a British naval constructor present reports he saw a 3-inch (7.6 cm) square piece of LSM-60 on the deck of a target ship afterward.[6]

External links

References

  1. ^ The ill-fated USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was the first to carry a nuclear weapon.
  2. ^ "LSM-60". Retrieved 26 December 2006.
  3. ^ a b "NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive LSM-60". Retrieved 26 December 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Operation Crossroads". Retrieved 26 December 2006.[dead link]
  5. ^ "Operation Crossroads 1946". Retrieved 26 December 2006.
  6. ISBN 978-1-904381-18-1
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_LSM-60&oldid=1093042236"