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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(L)-217


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Bravo - Uniform - Echo
 NBUE
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal

USS LCI(L)-217 was transferred to the United Kingdom and then transferred to France where she was redesignated RFS L9046
LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):
  • Laid down in October 1942 at George Lawley & Sons Corp., Neponset, MA.
  • Launched in November 1942
  • Commissioned USS LCI(L)-217, 14 November 1942
  • During World War II USS LCI(L)-217 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    North African occupation
    Tunisian operations, 27 March to 9 July 1943     		West Coast of Italy operations
    Anzio Nettuno advanced landings, 22 January, 28 January, 1 February 1944
    Sicilian occupation
    9 to 15 July and 28 July to 17 August 1943     		Invasion of Normandy
    6 to 25 June 1944

  • Decommissioned, and leased to the United Kingdom, 3 November 1944
  • Returned to US Naval custody, 14 March 1946
  • Sold by the US State Department to France, 19 March 1946, redesignated RFS L9046
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 17 April 1946
  • USS LCI(L)-217 earned four battle stars for World War II service
    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
    USS LCI(L)-217
    LCI(L)-218 13k From left to right:
    USS LCI(L)-217,
    USS LCI(L)-218,
    USS LCI(L)-219 and
    USS LCI(L)-215 nested together while moored in North Africa, circa 1943.
    Black and white photo courtesy of Shane Miracle in memory of his grandfather who served aboard USS LCI(L)-217. Color version courtesy Ken Adair, Sr.    		 Robert G. Morrissey
    LCI(L)-218 75k
    LCI(L)-218 1976k From left to right, front row:
    USS LCI(L)-218,
    USS LCI(L)-35,
    USS LCI(L)-14,
    USS LCI(L)-326,
    USS LCI(L)-88,
    USS LCI(L)-91 and
    USS LCI(L)-229
    From left to right back row:
    USS LCI(L)-2,
    USS LCI(L)-90,
    USS LCI(L)-320,
    USS LCI(L)-16,
    USS LCI(L)-3,
    USS LCI(L)-213,
    USS LCI(L)-321,
    USS LCI(L)-4,
    USS LCI(L)-86,
    USS LCI(L)-212,
    USS LCI(L)-217,
    USS LCI(L)-8,
    USS LCI(L)-83 and
    USS LCI(L)-94, massed at Bizerte, Tunisia, 6 July 1943 while loading troops for the invasion of Sicily.
    US Army Signal Corps photo # 176486, now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Dave Kerr
    LCI(L)-217 51k USS LCI(L)-217 underway, date and location unknown. Robert G. Morrissey
    LCI(L)-217 78k USS LCI(L)-217 with a barrage balloon in tow, en route for the French coast on "D-Day", 6 June 1944.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-252368 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    LCI(L)-217 25k USS LCI(L)-217 and two British LCIs land reinforcements at Normandy, June 1944. Stan Galik in honor of his father Stanley Galik SC/2 USS LCI(L)-35
    RFS L9046
    LCI(L)-217 344k Ex-USS LCI(L)-217 in French Naval service as RFS L9046 underway on the Song Luc Nam (Tonkin) North Viet Nam in 1952. Photo by Paul Camasses, submitted by Georges Demichelis
    The history for LCI(L)-217 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 17 October 2014