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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(R)-338
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USS LCI(L)-338 (1942 - 1945)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Tango - Bravo
NJTB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - Navy Unit Commendation - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)

Personnel Awards

Purple Heart (2 KIA—Corregidor Island, Manila Bay, Philippines, 16 February 1945) - Philip L. Michel, SC(B)1/c(T), 611-10-22 - John R. Rauch, MoMM2/c(T), 645-66-91
LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):
  • Laid down, 22 September 1942, at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX.
  • Launched, 24 October 1942
  • Commissioned USS LCI(L)-338, 26 November 1942
  • During World War II USS LCI(L)-338 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
    Finschhafen occupation, 22 September 1943
    Saidor occupation, 2 to 3 January 1944
    Luzon operation
    Mindoro Landings, 12 to 18 December 1944
    Lingayen Gulf landing, 4 to 18 January 1945
    Bismarck Archipelago operation
    Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 26 to 27 December 1943
    Manila Bay-Bicol operations
    Zambales-Subic Bay, 29 to 31 January 1945
    Mariveles-Corregidor, 14 to 28 February 1945
    Hollandia operation, 21 to 25 April 1944 Consolidation of the Southern Philippines
    Mindanao Island landings, 10 and 16 March 1945, 17 to 23 April 1945
    Western New Guinea operation
    Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area operation, 17 May 1944
    Biak Island operation, 27 to 28 May 1944
    Noemfoor Island operation, 27 July 1944
    Borneo operation
    Balikpapan operation, 26 June to 7 July 1945
    Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 12 October to 29 November 1944
    Ormoc Bay landing, 7 to 8 December 1944
     

  • USS LCI(L)-338 was redesignated Landing Ship Infantry (Rocket) LCI(R)-338, 10 July 1945
  • Following World War II USS LCI(R)-338 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following period:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal

    China Service Medal (extended)
    29 September to 5 October 194529 September to 14 December 1945
  • Decommissioned, 16 April 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register in 1946
  • USS LCI(L)-338 earned nine battle stars in addition to the Navy Unit Commendation for during World War II
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 28 April 1948, for disposal
  • Registered in 1949 as fishing boat Betty Cole
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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(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 .50 cal machine guns
    LCI(R) Armament
    one 40mm bow mounted gun mount
    four 20mm guns
    two .50 cal machine guns
    six 5" rocket launchers
    Fuel Capacity
    Diesel 935 Bbls
    lube oil 200 gal
    Propulsion
    two sets of 4 General Motors 6051 series 71 Diesel engines, 4 per shaft
    single General Motors Main reduction gears
    two Diesel-drive 30Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators
    twin variable pitch propellers, 2,320shp

    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    LCI(L)-226 70k "Between two sisters, the USS LCI 226 lies tied up to a dock at Oro Bay on coast of New Guinea between USS LCI(L)-344, outboard, and USS LCI(L)-338, inboard. U.S. troops who took part in the capture of Salamaua crowd the upper deck." Photo caption from March 27, 1944 issue of "Life" magazine. Story by John Hersey. The story covered the history of LCI(L) 226 from commissioning on 14 December 1942 to the landings at Cape Gloucester, New Britain on 26 December 1943.
    Life Time photo, by O. Landon Miles
    Ardie Hunt for his father
    Arden L. Hunt SM3/c USS LCI(R)-226, 20 July 1944 to 13 April 1945).
    LCI(L)-338
    1015033807
    216k USS LCI 338 and USS LCI(L)-339 load troops, date and location unknown. Tom Callahan
    LCI(R)-338 302k One of USS LCI(R)-338's Signalmen atop the conning tower, date and location unknown. Jerry Gilmartin MMC(SW) USN Ret. Secretary AFMM LCI 713, Curator PT-658 Save the PT Boat Inc, courtesy Dennis Blocker LCI National Association Historian
    LCI(R)-338 231k USS LCI(R)-338 preparing to fire rockets into the beach during the operations at Leyte in the Philippines circa October-December 1944. Jerry Gilmartin MMC(SW) USN Ret. Secretary AFMM LCI 713, Curator PT-658 Save the PT Boat Inc, courtesy Dennis Blocker LCI National Association Historian
    LCI(R)-338 135k
    LCI(L)-341 763k From left to right:
    USS LCI(L)-340
    USS LCI(L)-338
    USS LCI(L)-341
    USS LCI(L)-71
    USS LCI(L)-337
    beached in the Philippine Islands after a day of invasion practice, date and location unknown.
    Harry W. Ritzel CMOMM USS LCI(L)-341
    LCI(R)-338 77k USS LCI(L)-338 firing a fusillade of rockets over a smoke screen into the Japanese defenses around Balikpapan, Borneo, in preparation for a landing by Australian forces on D-Day 1 July 1945.
    INP News Service Photo.
    Hyperwar, U.S. Navy in World War II
    LCI(R)-338 65k USS LCI(L)-338 firing rockets at the beach preceding the Balikpapan, Borneo landing on 1 July 1945. The beach was bombarded with 3,000 tons of bombs, 38,000 shells, 114,000 automatic weapon rounds, and 10,000 rockets. There were dead Japanese but no beach opposition. This was the last major amphibious landing of World War II and the 56th landing of the Seventh Amphibious Force.
    A US National Archives photo from the USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association 2007 Calendar, courtesy of Bill Ringle.
    Ardie Hunt

    The history for USS LCI(L)-338 / LCI(R)-338 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 10 November 2023