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 | |
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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 |
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Propulsion | 2 sets of 4 General Motors diesels, 4 per shaft, BHP 1,600, twin variable pitch propellers |
Speed |
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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 |
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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.
External links
- http://www.uscg.mil/History/WEBCUTTERS/LCI_93.pdf
- http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/15/150093.htm