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USS LCI(R)-708
ex
 USS LCI(L)-708 (1944 - 1945)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Quebec - Delta - Sierra
 NQDS
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):
  • Laid down, 8 July 1944, at George Lawley & Sons Corp., Neponset, MA.
  • Launched, 17 July 1944
  • Commissioned USS LCI(L)-708, 24 July 1944
  • Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Rocket) LCI(R)-708, 15 March 1945
  • During World War II USS LCI(L)-708 / USS LCI(R)-708 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LCI Flotilla Sixteen, CDR. C. E. Coffin USN (27);
     LCI Group Forty-Eight, LCDR. F. Thompson Jr. USNR;
     LCI Division Ninety-Six and participated in the following campaigns/actions:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 to 26 February 1945     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March to 30 June 1945
  • Following World War II USS LCI(R)-708 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East, 2 September to 16 November 1945
  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS LCI(L)-708 / USS LCI(R)-708 earned two battle stars for World War II service
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 18 March 1947
  • 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 amidships, 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 Source
    LCI(L)-651 398k USS LCI(R)-651 with other units of the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Force, at Maui, rehearsing for the Iwo Jima landings, date unknown. Other amphibious craft include: USS LCI(R)-707, USS LCI(R)-708, USS LCI(R)-1030, USS LCI(R)-772, USS LCS(L)(3)-56 and USS LCS(L)(3)-55.
    Photo from the July 2010 issue of the USS LCI National Association's newsletter "The Elsie Item".    		 Ardie Hunt
    LCI(R)-708
    1015070802    		 105k USS LCI(R)708, TG 51.15.3 (Rocket Support Group) at Iwo Jima on D-Day 19 January 1945. This photograph shows the gun crew for the bow 40mm gun (R-L) Roberts S1/c on phones; A. Myhre, S1/c, pointer; Tommie Alexander S1/c 1st leader; H. V. Rowland, RDM 3/c; E. Ruglie S2/c.
    U.S. National Archives and Records Administration    		 Marc Levine
    LCI(R)-708 227k A USS LCI(R)-708 20mm gun crew stares up at Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, 17 Feb 1945. (The LCI in this picture has been tentatively identified as LCI(R) 708).
    From the cover of the February 2015 issue of the USS LCI National Association's newsletter, "Elsie Item".    		 Ardie Hunt
    LCI(L)-1024
    1015102450    		 98k Chart of all LCI(R) rocket targets which bombarded the North and South flanks of the main amphibious landing on L-Day of Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa. These LCI(R)s belonged to Flotilla SIXTEEN (CDR C.E. Coffin, Jr), referred to as Task Group 52.20, and comprised of 6 Task Groups, each in turn comprised of 6 LCI(R)s (for 36 LCIR)s total):
    South Flank:
    52.20.1 - USS LCI(R)-642, USS LCI(R)-650, USS LCI(R)-707, USS LCI(R)-771, USS LCI(R)-772, USS LCI(R)-1077;
    52.20.2 - USS LCI(R)-651, USS LCI(R)-708, USS LCI(R)-1028, USS LCI(R)-1029, USS LCI(R)-1030, USS LCI(R)-1078;
    In Reserve:
    52.20.3 - USS LCI(R)-643, USS LCI(R)-644, USS LCI(R)-645, USS LCI(R)-646, USS LCI(R)-769, USS LCI(R)-770.
    North Flank:
    52.20.4 - USS LCI(R)-647, USS LCI(R)-648, USS LCI(R)-649, USS LCI(R)-762, USS LCI(R)-763, USS LCI(R)-764;
    52.20.5 - USS LCI(R)-785, USS LCI(R)-1024, USS LCI(R)-1026, USS LCI(R)-1068, USS LCI(R)-1069, USS LCI(R)-1070;
    52.20.6 - USS LCI(R)-704, USS LCI(R)-705, USS LCI(R)-706, USS LCI(R)-765, USS LCI(R)-766, USS LCI(R)-767;     		LCDR. Gary Frogner, USN Ret. for his father ENS. Louis Frogner, USNR Engineering Officer LCI(R)-1024
    The history for USS LCI(L)-708 / USS LCI(R)-708 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
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association
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    This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 2 December 2022