USS LCI(L)-93

USS LCI(L)-93 was an amphibious assault ship (Landing Craft Infantry - Large), commissioned in 1943 by the United States Coast Guard. It participated in the Operation Husky Landings in Sicily on 10 July 1943, as well as the landings at Salerno, Italy.

LCI(L)-93 abandoned on Omaha Beach
History
United States
Name: USS LCI(L)-93
Builder:
Laid down: December 1942
Launched: January 1943
Commissioned: 15 February 1943
Stricken: Unknown
Honors and
awards:		 4 battle stars, World War II
Fate: Lost in action on Omaha Beach during D-Day[1]
General characteristics
Class and type: LCI(L)-351-class large landing craft
Displacement: 216 t.(light), 234 t.(landing), 389 t.(loaded)
Length: 158 ft 5.5 in (48.298 m)
Beam: 23 ft 3 in (7.09 m)
Draft:
  • Light, 3 ft 1.5 in (0.953 m) mean
  • Landing, 2 ft 8 in (0.81 m) fwd, 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) aft
  • Loaded, 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) fwd, 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) aft
Propulsion: 2 sets of 4 General Motors diesels, 4 per shaft, BHP 1,600, twin variable pitch propellers
Speed:
  • 16 knots (30 km/h) (max.)
  • 14 knots (26 km/h) maximum continuous
Endurance: 4,000 miles at 12 knots, loaded, 500 miles at 15 knots; and 110 tons of fuel
Capacity: 75 tons cargo
Troops: 6 Officers, 182 Enlisted
Complement: 3 officers, 21 enlisted
Armament:
  • 4 × 20 mm AA guns
  • 2 × .50" machine guns
Armor: 2" plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower, and pilot house

Normandy Invasion

As part of the massive amphibious force created for The Normandy Invasion, LCI(L)-93 took part in the landings at Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. After offloading its second cargo of American troops, the vessel became stranded between the shore and a sandbar. German Artillery then opened fire on the vulnerable ship, seriously wounding several soldiers and Coast Guardsmen. Among those injured were Stewards Mate 2/c John Roberts, an African American crewman, who lost his leg when an enemy shell passed through a bulkhead.

Badly damaged, LCI(L)-93 was lost as a result of this action.

In Art and Television

In addition to several photographs taken of LCI(L)-93 after the battle, several paintings of Omaha Beach depict the ship under fire on D-Day. The story of LCI(L)-93 was also told in The History Channel documentary A Distant Shore: African Americans of D-Day, with veteran John Roberts recounting his story of the ship's action at Normandy.

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References
  1. http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/LCI_93.pdf


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