USS Raritan (LSM-540)
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | USS LSM-540 |
| Ordered | 1945 |
| Builder | Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Texas |
| Laid down | 10 May 1945 |
| Launched | August 1945 |
| Commissioned | 6 December 1945, as USS LSM-540 |
| Decommissioned | 29 May 1946 |
| Recommissioned | 4 November 1957 |
| Decommissioned | 1 December 1959 |
| Renamed | USS Raritan (LSM-540), 14 October 1959 |
| Stricken | 1 January 1960 |
| Fate | Unknown, presumed scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | LSM-1-class landing ship medium |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 203 ft 6 in (62.03 m) o/a |
| Beam | 34 ft 6 in (10.52 m) |
| Draft |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × Fairbanks Morse (model 38D81/8X10, reversible with hydraulic clutch) diesels. Direct drive with 1,440 bhp (1,070 kW) each at 720 rpm, twin screws |
| Speed | 13.2 knots (24.4 km/h; 15.2 mph) (928 tons displacement) |
| Range | 4,900 nmi (9,100 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) (928 tons displacement) |
| Capacity | 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks (150 tons max. payload, beaching); or 6 LVT's, or 9 DUKW's |
| Troops | 2 officers, 46 enlisted |
| Complement | 5 officers, 54 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | 10-lb. STS splinter shield to gun mounts, pilot house and conning station |
The third USS Raritan (LSM-540) was a LSM-1-class landing ship medium in the United States Navy following World War II. She was named for a river in New Jersey.
Service history
Raritan was laid down on 10 May 1945 at Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston, Texas, launched in August 1945, commissioned as USS LSM-540 on 6 December 1945, Lieutenant Roy T. Rector, USNR in command. She was decommissioned on 29 May 1946, at Green Cove Springs, Florida and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs.
Recommissioned on 4 November 1957, she was renamed USS Raritan (LSM-540) on 14 October 1959, then decommissioned on 1 December 1959 at Norfolk, Virginia, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 January 1960.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
- Photo gallery of Raritan at NavSource Naval History
