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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(L)-344


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Uniform - Victor
 NJUV
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)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)
LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):
  • Laid down, 26 October 1942, Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX.
  • Launched, 2 December 1942
  • Commissioned USS LCI(L)-344, 18 January 1943
  • During World War II USS LCI(L)-344 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, 5 to 6 September 1943
    Finschhafen occupation, 22 September 1943
    Saidor occupation, 2 and 3 January 1944     		Western New Guinea operations
    Biak Island operation, 27 and 28 May 1944
    Morotai landings, 15 September 1944
    Bismarck Archipelago operation
    Cape Gloucester, New Britain - 26 and 27 December 1943     		Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 12 October to 29 November 1944
    Hollandia operation,, 21 to 25 April 1944 Manila Bay-Bicol operations
    Nasugbu, 31 January 1945

  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 17 April 1946
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 1 April 1948, for disposal
  • USS LCI(L)-344 earned six battle stars for World War II service
  • 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 Contributed
    By
    LCI(L)-344 90k USS LCI(L)-344 at anchor, 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(L)-344 53k Troops of the 29th Australian Infantry Brigade, 5th Australian Division loading stores aboard USS LCI(L)-344, 15 July 15, 1943, prior to their move from Gili Gil, New Guinea to Buna, New Guinea.
    Australian War Memorial, Photo No. 054593    		 Mike Green
    LCI(L)-344 63k Troops of the 29th Australian Infantry Brigade, 5th Australian Division embarking in USS LCI(L)-344 and other unidentified LCI(L)s, 15 July 15, 1943 as part of their move from Gili Gil, New Guinea to Buna, New Guinea.
    Australian War Memorial, Photo No. 054601    		 Mike Green
    LCI(L)-343 429k USS LCI(L)-344 as a part of LCI Flotilla Seven loads Australian troops for the invasion of Lae, New Guinea, September 1943. 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(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 USS 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)-343 128k USS LCI(L)-344 and USS LCI(L)-342 dodge mortar fire during the invasion of Biak Island, 27 May 1944.
    Photo by Dick Hanley of Yank Magazine appeared in USS LCI National Association's newsletter "The Elsie Item." August 2009 issue.    		 Ardie Hunt
    The history for USS LCI(L)-344 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 16 June 2017