USS LSM-45 was a LSM-1-class medium landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II.

The LSM departed Hellenic Naval Base, Skaramagas, Greece, on 9 September 1998 under tow of the chartered Russian tug, Ost.

After a stop at Tenerife, in the Canary Islands for fuel, the tug made way across the Atlantic Ocean heading directly west on course 270° at a speed of 7.2 knots (13.3 km/h; 8.3 mph).

The timing of the tow from New Orleans to the nation's heartland at Omaha, Nebraska, was the next big hurdle primarily because the Missouri River was closing to navigation traffic around mid-November.

Blaske Marine then provided the AMA a dedicated towboat, the M/V Omaha, Captained by William Beacom, to push LSM-45 up the Missouri from St. Louis to a permanent riverfront berth at Freedom Park, arriving on Monday, 23 November 1998.

The bulkheads below deck were lined with rows of walnut plaques with the names of those hundreds of individuals that had given of their time and money to restore and save the LSM.

Once docked behind the museum, it was to be opened to the public and the ship's deck was to be filled with equipment used during World War II.

[1] After nearly three years, the Museum of the Marine announced it was pulling anchor on the donated World War II ship and looking for someone who could better afford its preservation.

By May 2003, the Museum of the Marine has identified several organizations as a suitable home for the vessel and hoped to share transportation costs with the benefactor.

The Museum of the Marine plans to remove the 40 mm mount and the conning tower for possible display, with LSM-45 then being used as a barge by a private owner.

[8] On 17 September 2006 the Royal Thai Navy sank LSM-333 off the coast of Thailand at Pattaya,[9] leaving LSM-45 as the last known survivor in original Naval configuration.