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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(M)-659
ex
 USS LCI(G)-659 (1944 - 1945)
USS LCI(L)-659 (1944)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Golf - Alpha - Echo
 NGAE
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):
  • Laid down, 19 February 1944, at George Lawley & Sons, Neponset, MA.
  • Launched, 26 February 1944
  • Commissioned USS LCI(L)-659, 4 March 1944, LTjg. T. A. Cook USNR in command
  • Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-659, 31 December 1944
  • Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Mortar) LCI(M)-659, 30 April 1945
  • During World War II USS LCI(L)-659 / LCI(G)-659 / LCI(M)-659 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LCI Flotilla Fourteen, CAPT. T. W. Rimer;
     LCI Group Forty-Two, LCDR. A. H. Conners USNR;
     LCI Division Eighty-Three and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Leyte operations
    Leyte landings, 20 October 1944     		Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 3 March 1945
    Luzon operations
    Lingayen Gulf landing, 9 January 1945     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March to 14 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LCI(M)-659 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 18 November to 1 December 1945
  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register in 1946
  • USS LCI(L)-659 / LCI(G)-659 / LCI(M)-659 received the Navy Unit Commendation for service during the Leyte and Luzon operations and earned four battle stars for World War II service
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 7 April 1948
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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 869 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 Source
    LCI(L)-659 444k USS LCI(L)-659 and USS LCI(G)-461 laying smoke during the bombardment of Leyte, Philippines, preceding the landing on the southern beachhead, 23 October 1944.
    US National Archives photo # 60-G-288490, a US Navy photo, taken from Pennsylvania (BB-38), now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Tracy White
    The history for USS LCI(L)-659 / LCI(G)-659 / LCI(M)-659 is from USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, © 1995. (ISBN 1-56311-262-0)
    Commanding Officers
    01LTjg. Cook, T. A., USNR4 March 1944 - ?
    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
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created David Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 30 June 2017