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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(R)-342
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USS LCI(L)-342 (1942 - 1945)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Uniform - Charlie
NJUC

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (7) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)

LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):

Laid down, 12 October 1942, at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX.

Launched, 7 November 1942

Commissioned USS LCI(L)-342, 30 December 1942;

During World War II USS LCI(L)-342 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
="2"> Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Eastern New Guinea operation Lae occupation, 4 to 6 September 1943 Finschhafen occupation, 22 September 1943 Saidor occupation, 2 to 3 January 1944	Leyte operation Leyte landings, 12 to 29 November 1944
Bismarck Archipelago operation Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 26 and 27 December 1943	Luzon operation Mindoro landings, 12 to 18 December 1944 Lingayen Gulf landing, 4 to 18 January 1945
Hollandia operation, 21 to 25 April 1944	Consolidation of the Southern Philippines Palawan Island landings, 28 February 1945 Visayan Island landing, 26 to 28 March 1945 Mindanao Island landings, 17 to 23 April 1945
Western New Guinea operations Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area operation, 17 May 1944 Biak Island operation, 27 to 28 May 1944, 29 May to 1 June 1944 Noemtoor Island operation, 2 to 3 July 1944

USS LCI(L)-342 was redesignated Landing Craft Rockets USS LCI(R)-342, 10 July 1945

Following World War II USS LCI(R)-342 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
29 September to 10 October 1945	29 September to 10 October 1945

Decommissioned, date unknown

Struck from the Naval Register, 12 April 1946

USS LCI(L)-342 earned seven battle stars for WWII service

Transferred, 10 March 1948, to the Maritime Commission for disposal

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 amidship, 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

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
256k	USS LCI(L)-342 underway in a convoy, date and location unknown. Photo taken from an unknown LCI. Photo from USS LCI National Association's newsletter "The Elsie Item", August 2008 issue. A US Navy photo from the US National Archives, courtesy Dennis Blocker.	Ardie Hunt
148k	USS LCI(L)-342 embarking troops, date and location unknown.	Bill Brinkley
36k	USS LCI(L)-342 embarking troops, date and location unknown.	Robert Morrissey
241k	USS LCI(L)-342 and USS LCI(L)-340 beached while embarking troops of the 1st Bn, 163rd Rgt, 16 May 1944, bound for Tor River New Guinea. as part of the Western New Guinea campaign.	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
857k	USS LCI(L)-72, USS LCI(L)-340 and USS LCI(L)-342 beached at Aitape, New Guinea, circa 16 May 1944, while loading men of the 1st Battalion 163rd Infantry bound for Tor River New Guinea. as part of the Western New Guinea campaign.	Dave Kerr
128k	USS LCI(L)-342 and USS LCI(L)-344 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 newletter "The Elsie Item." August 2009 issue.	Ardie Hunt
124k	USS LCS(L)-342 anchored in a nest of LCIs, 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
79k	USS LCS(L)-342 crew photo, 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