USS LCI(L)-339
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS LCI(L)-339 |
| Builder | |
| Commissioned | 30 December 1942 |
| Stricken | Unknown |
| Fate | Lost in action on Red Beach during landing at Lae[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 |
|
| Propulsion | 2 sets of 4 General Motors diesels, 4 per shaft, BHP 1,600, twin variable pitch propellers |
| Speed |
|
| 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 |
|
| Armor | 2" plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, pilot house |
USS LCI(L)-339 was an amphibious assault ship (Landing Craft Infantry – Large), commissioned in 1942 by the United States Coast Guard. She participated in the Australian Army's 9th Division's landing at Lae on 4 September 1943, where she was abandoned after being hit during a Japanese air attack. The bomb exploded on the deck forward of the bridge, killing Lieutenant Colonel R. E. Wall, the commander of the 2/23rd Battalion and 6 others, and wounding 28. Her hulk was beached, until sometime later, when her hull was towed off the beach and cast adrift, becoming a wreck on a nearby reef.
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