LCI(L)-93 abandoned on Omaha Beach
History
United States
NameUSS LCI(L)-93
Builder
Laid downDecember 1942
LaunchedJanuary 1943
Commissioned15 February 1943
StrickenUnknown
Honors and
awards		4 battle stars, World War II
FateLost in action on Omaha Beach during D-Day[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeLCI(L)-351-class large landing craft
Displacement216 t.(light), 234 t.(landing), 389 t.(loaded)
Length158 ft 5.5 in (48.298 m)
Beam23 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
Propulsion2 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
Endurance4,000 miles at 12 knots, loaded, 500 miles at 15 knots; and 110 tons of fuel
Capacity75 tons cargo
Troops6 Officers, 182 Enlisted
Complement3 officers, 21 enlisted
Armament
Armor2" plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower, and pilot house

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.

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.

References


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