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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(M)-809
ex
USS LCI(G)-809 (1944 - 1945)
USS LCI(L)-809 (1944)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Whiskey - Quebec - Hotel
NWQH

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 (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp)

LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):

Laid down, 7 August 1944, at New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber, N.J.

Launched, 6 Septembe3r 1944

Commissioned USS LCI(L)-809, 12 September 1944

USS LCI(L)-809 underwent amphibious training and shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay area during September and October 1944

USS LCI(L)-809 underwent further training in November and December 1944 at San Diego, CA. before joining the war in the Pacific against Japan

While at San Diego, USS LCI(L)-809 was converted to a fire support vessel, receiving the new designation Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-809, 31 December 1944

During the first several weeks of 1945 USS LCI(G)-809 transited the Pacific Ocean, by way of Pearl Harbor, arriving at Purvis Bay, Solomon Islands, in mid-February. There she began preparations for the Okinawa Invasion.

USS LCI(G)-809 was assigned to:
LCI Flotilla Five, CAPT. T. W. Rimer USNR;
LCI Group Forty-One, LCDR. R. F. Hunnicutt USNR;
LCI Division Eighty-Two and participated in the following campaign:

Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March to 30 June 1945 Providing bombardment support and patrol and escort services, from April June 1945

Redesignated USS LCI(M)-809, 30 April 1945

Following World War II USS LCI(M)-809 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 2 September to 15 November 1945

Decommissioned, date unknown

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 19 March 1947

Final Disposition, sold in 1947, fate unknown

USS LCI(G)-809 / LCI(M)-809 earned one battle star for World War II service

Specifications:
Displacement 246 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

LCI(L) Complement 4 Officers, 24 Enlisted

LCI(G) Complement 5 Officers, 65 Enlisted

LCI(M) Complement 4 Officers, 49 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 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

LCI(G) Armament two 40mm guns, four 20mm guns, six .50cal machine guns, 10 MK7 rocket launchers

LCI(M) Armament one single 40mm gun, forward, four 20mm guns, three 4.2" chemical mortars mounted in three 4ft x 4ft wooden walled 2" x 6" high sand boxes on the well deck with the three tripod mortar tubes in position to fire forward over the bow, No. 2 Troop Compartment (under well deck) converted to a magazine

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

Size	Image Description	Source
94k	LVT amphibious tractors move past USS LCI(G)-809 (center), bound for the Okinawa landing beaches, 1 April 1945. Photographed from *USS West Virginia* (BB-48)*. US National Archives photo # 80-G-K-3850* a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
83k	LVT amphibious tractors head for the Okinawa landing beaches on 1 April 1945. USS LCI(G)-809 is partially visible at left, helping to cover the assault. Photographed from *USS West Virginia* (BB-48)*. US National Archives photo # 80-G-K-3853* a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
59k	LVT amphibious tractors head for the Okinawa landing beaches on 1 April 1945. USS LCI(G)-809 is partially visible at left, helping to cover the assault. Photographed from West Virginia (BB-48). US National Archives photo # 80-G-K-3848 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
177k	USS LCI(M)-809 with two of her sister ships bombarding the cave area on the southern coast of Okinawa where Japanese General Ushijima was holed up, mid-June 1945.	Ardie Hunt, photo courtesy Henry H. Baxter, Deck and Engineering Officer, USS LCI(M)-809
59k	USS LCI(M)-809 crew photo taken at Panama, circa 1946. Photo is from the USS LCI National Association's newsletter "The Elsie Item", December 2005 issue, courtesy of Leonard Young, USS LCI(M)-809.	Ardie Hunt

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Action Report, 14 May to 1 June 1945, at Okinawa
USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association

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This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 11 August 2017

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(M)-809ex USS LCI(G)-809 (1944 - 1945) USS LCI(L)-809 (1944)

USS LCI(M)-809
ex
USS LCI(G)-809 (1944 - 1945)
USS LCI(L)-809 (1944)