Major Asstyrd
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LCS(L)(3)-102 is a WWII "Landing Craft Support" and is a non-profit museum project at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo, CA. MVers have been invited to a special open house and social event on August 24 and they would like to see a nice display of MVs, any era or condition. Arrive any time but ideally by noon. The boat has 73 clean bunks Navy-style ready for our use Saturday night by males and females. Clean rest rooms in the adjacent building. The galley is not functional at this time except for a microwave. Plenty of seating room in the crews and officers lounge, and the gun tubs provide great photo ops. Bring sleeping bags and your food. There is talk of inviting a caterer or food truck if there is interest so please sound off by August 10 if you will support that for for any of the mealtimes. BBQs on the wharf are authorized. A dinner run across the river to a casual place like Sardine Can is an option on Saturday evening. Please RSVP to Sonny Hanson, MVCC North Bay East VP at 707-552-6918. sonnyhanson@comcast.net All welcome for this unique experience. There will also be a MV run to the Mare Island Museum plus a tour of the first U.S. Navy base in the West (1852). As a non-profit corporation, LCS-102 does not charge admission but will gladly accept our donations. Please plan to help keep this project above water in whatever way you can.
Address is 1080 Nimitz Ave. moored by Building 117. Close to the Mare Island Causeway Bridge, which is reached via Tennessee Street from I-80 or Wilson Avenue from S.R. 37.
The LCS class was a modified Landing Craft Infantry designed for close-in gun and rocket support of amphibious operations. They were called "Mighty Midgets" due to having the most firepower for their tonnage in the fleet. 130 were built. Landing Craft Support (Large)(Mark 3) 102 was built in Portland, OR and launched Feb. 3, 1945. After the war she was redesignated Landing Ship Support Large (US LSSL-102) in 1949, then transferred to the Japan Self Defense Force in 1953 as JDS Himawari. She was returned to U.S. custody in 1966, then immediately transferred to the Royal Thai Navy where she was renamed HTMS Nakha LSSL-751. In 2007 she was given to an American museum project and transported aboard ship to the Bay Area to ultimately become a museum. She is one of only two LCS(L)(3) to survive. The other one is a highly modified fishing vessel.
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