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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LCI(L)-73 / LCI(G)-73 / LCI(R)-73

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (7)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Liberation Medal (3)

LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):

Laid down, (date unknown), at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX.;

Launched (date unknown);

Commissioned USS LCI(L)-73, 2 January 1943;

LCI(L)-73 was redesignated Landing Craft Guns LCI(G)-73, 15 June 1944;

LCI(G)-73 was redesignated Landing Craft Rockets LCI(R)-73, 10 July 1945;

During World War II LCI(L)-73 / LCI(G)-73 / LCI(R)-73 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Eastern New Guinea operation Lae occupation, 4 to 6 September 1943, 9 to 13 September. 1943 Finschaffen occupation, 22 September 1943 Saidor occupation, 1 to 28 February 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landing, 4 to 18 January 1945
Bismarck Archipelago operation Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 26 to 27 December 1943	Manila Bay-Bicol operations Nasugbu. 31 January to 2 February 1945>
Western New Guinea operation Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area operation, 19 May 1944 Biak Island operation, 27 to 28 May 1944, 16 June 1944 Noemfoor Island operation, 2to 7 July 1944 Cape Sansapor operation, 30 July to 4 Aug. 1944 Morotai landings, 15 September 1944	Borneo operation Balikpapan operation. 26 June to 7 July 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 12 October to 29 November 1944 Ormac Bay landings, 7 December 1944	.

Following World War II LCI(R)-73 performed occupation in the Far East including service in China from 29 September to 5 December 1945;

Decommissioned, (date unknown);

Struck from the Naval Register, (date unknown);

Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 6 March 1948;

Final Disposition, fate unknown.

LCI(L)-73 / LCI(G)-73 / LCI(R)-73 received seven battle stars for World War II service in addition to the Navy Unit Commendation for:

(a) Western New Guinea

(b) Leyte landing

(d) Lingayen landing

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(R) Complement 3 Officers, 31 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
LCI(R) Armament one 40mm gun, four 20mm guns, six 5" rocket launchers
Fuel Capacity 130 tons, lube oil 200 gal.
Propulsion two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, BHP 1,600, twin variable pitch propellers Specifications:
Displacement 216 t.(light), 234 t.(landing), 389 t.(loaded)
Length 158' 5½"
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
Complement 2 officer, 21 enlisted
Troop Capacity 6 Officers, 182 Enlisted
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 knots; and 110 tons of fuel
Armament four single 20mm guns one forward, one amidship, two aft, later added two .50 cal machine guns
Fuel Capacity 130 tons, lube oil 200 gal.
Propulsion two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, BHP 1,600, twin variable pitch propellers

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
89k	*LCI(L)-73, LCI(L)-34* and *LCI(L)-430* moored, date and place unknown.	Bill Brinkley
174k	*LCI(G)-73* underway as a unit of the 7th Amphibious Group, date and place unknown. US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives	National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130
63k	*LCI(G)-73* underway off Morotai, 15 September 1944 US National Archives image	Bill Brinkley
97k	*LCI(R)-31, LCI(R)-34* and *LCI(R)-73* along with three unidentified LCIs beached at Townsville, Australia while loading troops, probably for the Borneo operation in June 1945.	Peter Dunn
73k	*LCI(R)-73* partial crew photo, date and place unknown. Photo courtesy John Hoffman, USS LCI-73. Photo from the USS LCI National Association's newsletter "The Elsie Item", June 2006 issue	Ardie Hunt

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S.Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association

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Last Updated 8 August 2006