The Jack Staff Flag of USS LSM-37

Ghosts of the Battlefield is honored to receive a remarkable piece of United States Navy history: the jack staff flag from USS LSM-37, generously donated by James Reese.

USS LSM-37 was a Landing Ship Medium, one of the vessels designed to carry troops, vehicles, and equipment directly onto hostile shores. Built by Brown Shipbuilding in Houston, Texas, she was commissioned in July 1944 under the command of Lieutenant Gordon W. Smith, USNR.

The Landing Ship Medium filled an important role in the Pacific War. Smaller and more maneuverable than the larger tank landing ships, vessels like LSM-37 could approach beaches, lower their bow ramps, and place men and equipment ashore where they were needed most. Their crews operated close to enemy-held coastlines, often under the threat of artillery, aircraft, mines, and small-arms fire.

LSM-37 served in the Pacific during the final year of World War II and earned four battle stars for her wartime service.

In April 1945, she participated in the assault landings on Mindanao in the Philippines, helping carry troops and equipment during the campaign to drive Japanese forces from the island. Just a few months later, she took part in the landings at Balikpapan, Borneo, during one of the final major Allied amphibious operations of the war.

The Balikpapan campaign required landing ships to move close to shore and deliver the forces needed to secure the heavily defended area. For the sailors aboard LSM-37, these operations demanded discipline, courage, and the ability to perform dangerous work under combat conditions.

Following the war, LSM-37 was decommissioned in January 1947. She later entered civilian service before eventually being retired, but a tangible part of her Navy career survived.

The flag that once flew from her jack staff now has a home at Ghosts of the Battlefield, where it will be preserved and shared as part of the ship’s continuing story.

Artifacts like this tell more than the history of a vessel. They carry the memory of every sailor who stood watch aboard her, every load of troops and equipment she carried, every landing she supported, and every mile she traveled across the Pacific.

The ship may be gone, but beneath this flag, the legacy of USS LSM-37 and her crew continues.

These stories deserve more than remembrance—they deserve preservation. Click here to help us.