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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(L)-686


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Whiskey - Romeo
 NPWR
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Metal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):
  • Laid down, 5 May 1944, at George Lawley & Son, Neponset, MA.
  • Launched, 15 May 1944
  • Commissioned USS LCI(L)-686, 22 May 1944
  • During World War II USS LCI(L)-686 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 19 to 29 November 1944
    Ormoc Bay landing, 7 and 8 December 1944     		Consolidation and capture of the southern Philippine
    Visayan Island landings, 26 March to 14 April 1945 and 18 to 20 April 1945
    Luzon operation
    Mindoro landings, 12 to 18 December 1944     		Manila Bay-Bicol operations
    Nasugbu, 31 January 1945 and 4 to 5 February 1945

  • Following World War II USS LCI(L)-686 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    8 to 25 September 194526 September to 16 December 1945

  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS LCI(L)-686 earned four battle stars for World War II service
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal, 24 February 1948
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    Specifications:
    Displacement 236 t.(light), 264 t.(landing), 419 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
    4 officers
    24 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
    five single 20mm guns, one bow mounted, one each port and starboard forward of wheelhouse, one each port and starboard aft of wheelhouse
    on some LCIs two .50 cal machine guns were added
    Fuel Capacity
    Diesel 860 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 Source
    LCI(L)-686
    1015068602    		 109k USS LCI(L)-686 underway in Ormoc Bay, Leyte, P.I., 7 December 1944.
    Frame from a short film named "Ormoc Bay" by the DOD; Dept. of the Army, Office of the Chief Signal Officer. National Archive I.D. 23459. Local I.D. 111-ADC-9694.    		 David Upton
    LCI(L)-613 68k USS LCI(L)-613, USS LCI(G)-578 and USS LCI(L)-686 of LCI Flotilla 15 landing troops of the 77th Division at Ormoc Bay, Leyte, P.I., 7 December 1944. As the convoy was reforming to return to Leyte Gulf, information was received that the Japanese were landing reinforcements 18 miles north of Ormoc. US planes attacked the Japanese convoy and Japanese planes attacked the Ormoc Attack Group. For the next 10 hours the Group came under continuous air attack. USS Mahon (DD-364) and USS Ward (APD-16) were lost to Kamikazes and USS Liddle (APD-60) and USS Lamson (DD-367) were severely damaged, and USS LSM-318 was abandoned. Fifty-five planes were shot down over the convoy. US National LCI Association
    LCI(L)-686 1034k USS LCI(L)-686 landing men of the 3rd Battalion, 164 Regiment, Americal Division at Bohol Island, Philippine Islands, 11 April 1945.
    US Army Signal Corps photo # SC 266310 by T/5 George Arend.    		 Dave Kerr
    The history for USS LCI(L)-686 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
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    This page is created by David Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 27 October 2023