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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(M)-638
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USS LCI(L)-638 (1944)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Mike - Kilo
NPMK

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Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

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During World War II USS LCI(L)-638 / LCI(M)-638 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LCI Flotilla Twenty-One, CDR. L. B. Balliere, USNR;
LCI Group Sixty-One, LCDR. W. T. Dom, USNR;
LCI Division One Hundred Twenty-One and participated in the following campaigns::

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 14 June 1945

Following World War II USS LCI(M)-638 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
19 November 1945 to 21 March 1946	22 to 25 March 1946
26 March to 15 April1946

Final Disposition, fate unknown

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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

LCI(L) Complement

4 Officers

24 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 gun mounts, 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(M) Armament

one single 40mm gun mount, forward

four 20mm gun mounts

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

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Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Source
	70k	USS LCI(M)-638 under way, date and location unknown.		Bill Brinkley
1015045520	132k	From right to left: USS LCI(G)-455 USS LCI(G)-41 USS LCI(M)-638 USS LCI(L)-1012 USS LCI(L)-640 USS LCI(M)-673 and USS LC(FF)-679 moored in a nest in San Diego Bay, circa early 1946. Photo from the USS LCI National Association's newsletter, the "Elsie Item", March 2019.		Ardie Hunt

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The history for USS LCI(L)-638 / LCI(M)-638 is from USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, © 1995. (ISBN 1-56311-262-0)

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Commanding Officers
01	LTjg. Bush, K. L., USNR	26 June 1944 - ?

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

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Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 8 January 2021