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A total of five hundred fifty-eight Landing Ship Medium (LSM) and Landing Ship Medium (Rocket) (LSM®s were built during World War II. They serviced in the Asiatic-Pacific theater, and in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The LSM®, Landing Ship Medium Rocket, were designed to support amphibious landings by providing close-in fire support using their primary battery of rocket launchers. The LSM® was a modified LSM, equipped with eight to ten twin 127mm automatic, continuously fed. rocket launchers. Each launcher was capable of firing thirty spin stablilized rockets per minute.
Displacement (max): 1175 tons
Dimensions: 61.08 x 10.38 x 2.37 (lenght x beam x draft) mt
Propulsion: 2x General Motors (non-reversing with airflex clutch) diesels, 1440 hp
Speed (max): 13 knots
Main Armament: 1x 127mm/38 dual purpose gun mount
Secondary Armament: 20x continuous loading 129mmm SS rocket launchers, 4x 101.6 mm mortars
AA: 2x twin 40mm gun mounts, 4x twin 20mm gun mounts
Armour: N/A (deck), N/A mm (side), 40 mm (turrets), 20 mm (control tower)
Crew: 143
British Super battleship HMS Lion
The 2nd ship of the 2nd last class of British Battleships, HMS Lion was the follow on design to the King George V class of "treaty" battleship. Designed with 16" guns and even thicker armour than the "Iowa" class HMS Lion was intended to do 30 knots. HMS Lion was laid down in 1939, just before the outbreak of WWII. Within 2 months of the start of the war (October 1939) all work was suspended, never to restart.
Displacement (max): 42076 tons
Dimensions: 227.10 x 31.40 x 8.80 (lenght x beam x draft) mt
Propulsion: 8x Admiralty 3 drum boilers, 4x Parsons steam turbines, 4x shafts, 110000 shp
Speed (max): 30 knots
Main Armament: 12x 14"/45 Mk VII guns in 3x quadruple turrets
Secondary Armament: 16x 5.25"/50 Mk I guns in twin turrets, 2x Walrus seaplanes
AA: 32x 2pdr guns in 4x octuple mountings
Armour: 152.4 mm (deck), 381 mm (side), 330.2 mm (turrets), 330.2 mm (barbettes)
Crew: 1422
Russian Super battleship Sovietsky Soyuz
Work on the ship had almost stopped by late 1940, but the hull was complete, and the engines and most of the armour were in place. Between 1941 and 1944, most of the armour was removed for use on land. Postwar, she was cut into sections and scrapped on the slip.
Displacement (max): 65150 tons
Dimensions: 256.8 x 35.88 x 9.87 (lenght x beam x draft) mt
Propulsion: Turbo electric drive, 3x shafts, 210000shp
Speed (max): 29 knots
Main Armament: 9x 406.4mm cannons in 3 triple turrets
Secondary Armament: 12x 152.4 cannons in 6 double turrets, 24x 99.06 mm cannons in 12 double turrets, 4x seaplanes
AA: 48x 37mm cannons in 24 double turrets, 24x 12.7mm in 12 double turrets
Armour: 221 mm (deck), 406.4 mm (side), 406.4 mm (turrets), 406.4 mm (control tower)
Crew: ?
German Aircraft carrier KMS Graf Zeppelin
The Graf Zeppelin was the one and only German aircraft carrier, but it was never completed or used. As the only german ship in this class it deserves a special place. On 16.11.1935 the Naval Supreme Command gave the order to the Deutsche Werke Kiel AG. She was to have a crew of 1720 men and carry 110 aircraft; displacement 27.750 tonnes. She was launched on 8.12.1939. However already in 1939 the first doubts were expressed on her operation usability. In April 1940 construction was halted and in July the Graf Zeppelin was towed to Gotenhafen. In Dezember 1942, the G.Z. was towed to Kiel for construction to continue and, after a general shipbuilding stoppage at the beginning of 1943, in April 1943 she was taken to Stettin. On 25.04.1945 the G.Z. ws sunk at her moorings by a demolition squad, but in March 1947 she was raised by the Soviet navy and then in une she was finally sunk by torpedos.
Displacement (max): 28100 tons
Dimensions: 246.96 x 26.97 x 5.59 (lenght x beam x draft) mt
Propulsion: steam geared turbines, 4x shafts, 200000shp
Speed (max): 32 knots
Main Armament: 16 x 150mm (4x2, 8x1) cannons
Secondary Armament: 40x aircrafts 18x Ju 87C, 22x sea-version Me 109T
AA: 12x 103.1mm, 22x 37mm anti-aircraft, 28x 20mm cannons
Armour: 190 mm (flightdeck) 380 mm (deck), 90 mm (side), mm (control tower)
Crew: 1760 + air crew
Italian Aircraft carrier Aquila
Once Italy realized the importance of airpower in the sea, the construction of the Aquila took place. The Aquila was 1 of 3 planned aircraft carriers for the Italian navy. The Aquila was to hold up to 53 Reggiane Re 2001 aircraft. Construction began in 1942 through a modified tanker. In 1943, Italian frogmen partially scuttled the ship to prevent it from getting into German hands. It was then salvaged , but scuttled by the Germans in 1945. In 1946 the Aquila was salvaged but to only to be towed for scrap metal. It never entered service for the Italian Navy.
Displacement (max): 27800 tons
Dimensions: 232.50 x 30.05 x 7.30 (lenght x beam x draft) mt
Propulsion: 4xturbines, 4x boilers, 8x shafts, 140000 shp
Speed (max): 30 knots
Main Armament: 8x 135mm cannons
Secondary Armament: 51x Reggiane Re 2001 aircrafts
AA: 12x 65mm/64 cal cannons, 132x da 20mm cannons
Armour: 70 mm (deck), 80 mm (side), 70 mm (control tower)
Crew: 1312 + 108 air crew
Japanese Suicide motorboat Maru Re
Maru-Re is the motorboat loading a 250kg explosive charge. It was possible to drop a charge near an enemy ship and return, but the most crews selected to crash against an enemy ship. In Jan., 1945, Maru-Re first saw action and sunk several US vessels in the Gulf of Lingayen, Philippines.
Displacement (max): 0.83 tons
Dimensions: 5.6 x 1.8 x ? (lenght x beam x draft) mt
Propulsion: Gasoline engine, 70 shp
Speed (max): 24 knots
Main Armament: 250 kg of explosive
Secondary Armament: N/A
AA: N/A
Armour: N/A
Crew: 1
