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 transfered to Japan in mid-1953. Serving under the name JDS Himawari, the vessel remained in Japan until mid-1966 when she was transfered to Thailand, becoming the HTMS Nakha. In 2007, after being retired, the ship was returned to the United States to become museum ship.

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 soon after on 17 February. As built, the vessel displaced 250-tons without load, and 387 tons at full load. She was 158 ft long, with a beam of 28 ft and a draft of 5 ft. With a crew of eight officers and 70 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 two General Motors four-shaft 1,600 horse power diesel engines. She was armed with an array of weapons, including: a single 3-inch gun mounted on her bow; two twin-mounted 40 mm anti-aircraft guns; four single-mounted 20 mm anti-aircraft guns; four .50 caliber machine-guns and ten rocket launchers. Armor included 10 lb splinter shields which were placed on the gun mounts, the pilot house and the conning tower.

Operational history
After commissioning, LCS(L)(3)-102 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater under the command of Captain J. M. Mc Issac. 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. At the end the end of the war, 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 re-named 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.

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