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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(G)-69
ex
 USS LCI(L)-69 (1942 - 1944)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Kilo - Juliet
 NCKJ
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):
  • Laid down, 1 September 1942, at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX.
  • Launched, 11 October 1942
  • Commissioned USS LCI(L)-69, 24 December 1942
  • Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Guns) LCI(G)-69, 15 June 1944
  • During World War II USS LCI(L)-69 / LCI(G)-69 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following campaigns:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    New Georgia operation
    New Georgia Rendova-Vangunu occupation, 30 June 1943     		Western New Guinea operations
    Morotai landings, 15 September 1944
    Treasury-Bougainville operation
    Treasury Island landing, 27 October 1943     		Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 13 October to 29 November 1944
    Consolidation of Solomon Islands
    Consolidation of Northern Solomons,
    6 to 7, 15 to 16 and 27 to 28 January,
    4 to 5, 8 to 9, 15 to 16 and 23 to 24 February,
    1 to 2 March, 29 to 30 May and 28 April to 15 June 1944     		Luzon operation
    Mindoro landings, 12 to 18 December 1944
    Lingayen Gulf landing, 4 to 18 January 1945

  • Following World War II USS LCI(G)-69 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 9 September to 13 November 1945
  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 8 May 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold, 5 February 1947, fate unknown
  • USS LCI(L)-69 earned six battle stars for World War II service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 216 t.(light), 234 t.(landing); 389 t.(loaded)
    Length 158' 5 1/2"
    Beam 23' 3"
    Draft
    Light 3'1½" mean
    Landing, 2' 8" forward, 4' 10"aft
    Loaded, 5' 4" forward 5' 11" aft
    Speed 16 kts (max.), 14 kts maximum continuous
    LCI(L) Complement
    3 Officers
    21 Enlisted
    LCI(G) Complement
    5 Officers
    65 Enlisted
    LCI(L) Troop Capacity
    6 Officers
    182 Enlisted
    LCI(L) Cargo Capacity 75 tons
    Armor 2" plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower and pilot house
    Endurance 4,000 miles at 12 kts, loaded, 500 miles at 15 kts; and 110 tons of fuel
    LCI(L) Armament
    four single 20mm guns one forward, one amidship, two aft
    two .50cal machine guns
    LCI(G) Armament
    two 40mm guns
    four 20mm guns
    six .50cal machine guns
    ten MK7 rocket launchers
    Fuel Capacity 130 tons, lube oil 200 gal.
    Propulsion
    two sets of 4 General Motors Diesel engines, 4 per shaft, BHP 1,600
    twin variable pitch propellers
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    LCI(L)-69 1617k USS LCI(G)-69 at Leyte Gulf, circa November 1944.
    Photo ©Time-Life, contributed by Desmond Johnson BM2/c USS LCI(G)-69    		 Robert Morressey
    LCI(L)-69 219k USS LCI(G)-69 crew members with Japanese flag Left to right foreground; Unidentified, CBM Tommy Longeran (in white shirt holding flag), Lowel Bates, Walt Keeler, BM2/c Desmond H. Johnson (far right holding flag).
    Photo and identification contributed by Desmond H. Johnson BM2/c USS LCI(G)-69    		 Robert Morressey
    LCI(L)-69 903k USS LCI(G)-69 officers, left to right; LCDR Archie Holmes, Arthur Seale, John Ehlers and LTjg. Herman Roesti in the 3" gun tub. Note the art work.
    Photo and identification contributed by Desmond H. Johnson BM2/c USS LCI(G)-69    		 Robert Morressey
    LCI(L)-69 262k USS LCI(G)-69 conning tower with from left to right; Arthur Seale, Larry Simmering, Commanding Officer LTjg. Herman Roesti, Ted Cummings, unknown, Clarence Johnson, LCDR. "Squad Don" Archie Holmes (all officers except Johnson). Photo was taken in January 1945 in Leyte Gulf after the ship returned from the Lingayen Gulf invasion.
    Photo and identification contributed by Desmond H. Johnson BM2/c USS LCI(G)-69    		 Robert Morressey
    LCI(L)-69 235k The immediacy of battle left little time for formal meals on board the gunboats. An USS LCI(G)-69 crewman eats at his general quarters station as the ship approaches Luzon on 6 January 1945. A standard tripod-mounted .50 caliber machine gun is seen over his shoulder.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-472034 and caption information from "American Amphibious Gunboats in World War II - A History of LCI and LCS(L) Ships in the Pacific" by Robin L. Rielly.    		 Rob Rielly
    LCI(L)-69 421k USS LCI(G)-69's Commanding Officer LTjg. Herman Roesti (wearing helmet) treats leg wounds of one of his crew. Notice the tourniquet which has been applied to the man's thigh to stem the flow of blood.
    Photo is from the December 2012 issue of the USS LCI National Association's newsletter "Elsie Item."    		 Ardie Hunt
    The history for LCI(L)-69 / LCI(G)-69 is from USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, © 1995. (ISBN 1-56311-262-0)
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 28 March 2014