elsie item issue 69 - USS Landing Craft Infantry

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE
USS LANDING CRAFT, INFANTRY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
• ESTABLISHED MAY 14–18, 1991, NORFOLK,VA •
NOVEMBER 2009 ISSUE #69
Impressive Modeling: An LCI Loading at
Southampton for Operation Overlord. (see page 4)
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Iwo Jima • Normandy • LCIs at the Bay of Pigs • Reunion Updates

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“THE ELSIE ITEM” Number 69 • November 2009
Official Newsletter of the USS LCI National Association, a non-profit veteran’s organization. Membership in the USS LCI
National Association is open to any U. S. Navy or U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served aboard a Landing Craft Infantry. Affiliate
membership, without voting privileges, is offered to others.
Published quarterly by the USS LCI National Association. John P. Cummer, Editor. Any material for possible publication should
be sent to the Editor, preferably by email (cummerj@bellsouth.net) or by regular mail to 302 Pinewood Cottage Lane,
Blythewood, SC, 29016
CHECK OUT THESE WEBSITES:
www.usslci.com www.amphibiousforces.com
Our own website For information on the 713 and Tiny’s Ships Stores
On Our Cover: English Railroad Modelers have created an outstanding display of the docks at
Southampton as preparations were being made for D-Day. Chris Mead, one of the modelers has
contributed a finely detailed model of an LCI, featured in the exhibit. See story, page 4.
HAVE YOU PAID YOUR DUES ?
We need the support of every shipmate to keep our Association going!
If you have not yet paid your dues for this year, please do so at once. It will be necessary
to drop you from the Elsie Item mailing list if we do not receive your dues before the next
issue comes out. We don’t want to do that!
Your support in keeping our Association going will be greatly appreciated by all your
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Annual dues are $25.00. Please note: Beginning this year we are asking Life Members
also to pay annual dues.
Please make your check out to
“USS LCI National Association”
and mail it to:
USS LCI National Association
c/o Nehemiah Communications, Inc.
101 Rice Bent Way, #6
Columbia, SC 29229

From the Editor/President
Welcome to another issue of Elsie Item !
Recently one of our shipmates wrote me mildly complaining that there
was too much coverage of the restoration work being done on the
1091 and the 713 and not enough about our actual WWII experiences.
This issue should help correct that balance. In it I believe we
have more sea stories, first hand accounts and information on operations
in both the Pacific and the European theaters than we have ever
carried before. One reason for that is the outpouring of sea stories
from so many of you. We hope you keep them coming.
I have a couple of requests or suggestions to pass along to you who are still thinking about the
sea story you want to contribute. First, it is so much more easier on me if you send them as an
attachment to an email. That saves a lot of re-copying. Of course, if you do not have access to a
computer, we will be equally glad to receive your story. Another suggestion is that you might
want to try to single out some specific incident – dramatic or funny – and tell us that story instead
of recounting the experiences that were common to most of us – our training, ocean voyages, etc.
Try to think of some experience that you had that may be completely different from those of other
LCIers. However, please send whatever you want in whatever form you prefer, for we will be very
pleased to receive every contribution.
In this issue there should be something to satisfy almost everyone -. From our cover story of the
amazingly detailed model of the docks of Southampton, England, as preparations were being made
for the Normandy Invasion to the report of the finding of a paddle that belonged to LCI 93. From
the Pacific theater we carry the sobering story of Nick Grosso and LCI 450 as they participated in
the invasion of Iwo Jima.
We also extend our thanks again to LCI Historian Dennis Blocker for supplying us with more great LCI
photos uncovered in the National Archives. You’ll find them scattered them throughout this issue.
Putting on my President’s hat, it’s good to report that plans for our joint reunion with the LSM/LSMR
group are firming up. We think both groups will enjoy the fellowship. In that regard we note with
pleasure the report of the California LCIers meeting together with LST veterans. Seems they all had
a great time together and we hope the same thing will happen next August in Cincinnati.
We continue to be encouraged about the increasing role affiliates are playing in our association. The
enthusiasm they show bodes well for our future. We will be seeking legal advice concerning changes
that need to be made in our by-laws to permit their full participation. Of chief concern will be the
need for preserving our status as an organization to which tax-free contributions can be made.
Fair winds and following seas, Shipmates!
—John Cummer
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Preparation for “Operation Overlord”
Created by English Modelers
Detail of the figures on the LCI

One never knows when “bread cast upon the
waters” comes back! Seven years ago we responded
to a request from Chris Mead, a modeler in
England, for LCI plans. We’ve asked Chris to tell us
a bit about this display and his work on the LCI in it.
LCIs are not forgotten in England!
Railroad modelers have constructed “Overlord,” a display
that has been years in the making.
One might think that a model railroad display is a
strange place to find a model of an LCI, but this is
indeed the case. “Overlord” is a UK based layout
designed to be exhibited at railroad shows that
depicts the preparations for D-day in and around the
Southampton docks during June 1944. It began in
1994 measuring just 12 feet from end to end, and has
proved so popular that after nearly fifteen years and 90
shows including trips to Belgium, the Netherlands and
even Germany, it is still going strong and now measures
over three times its original length.
One of the reasons to extend the layout was to display
a wider selection of the ships of the invasion
armada. Uppermost on the list were both the LCI &
LST. After contacting the USS LCI Veteran’s
Association in 2002, I received a letter from Jim
Talbert and John Cummer giving links to all the
images on the website and also copies of LCI plans.
Seven years later, the LCI is complete enough to be
included in “Overlord” and now sits on the layout as
an integral part of the display. Prompted by the need
to write an article on the layout for a magazine and
seeing the results of the accompanying professional
photographs (which are reproduced here by kind permission
of Chris Nevard and the Hornby Magazine) I
thought it only right and proper to contact Jim and
John again to show them the result of their kind
offer of information all that time ago.
Construction of the model began with enlarging the
plans from 1:96 to the scale used on the layout of
1:76 (this is the common scale for both military and
railroad models in the U.K.) which makes the finished
model about 2 feet in length. The material
used throughout is plastic sheet of varying thicknesses—40
thou for the hull and decks with 10 and
20 thou for the superstructure and conning tower.
The thinner gauge allowed the sheet to be rolled
around a a metal rod to produce the curves of the
cabin deck and conning tower.
Copious amounts of filler allowed the lines of the
bow to be shaped and also covered the many joints
and gaps between
the sheets! The rest
of the deck fittings
and armaments are
made from a combination
of more plastic
sheet for the
vents, lockers and
doors, metal rod and
tubing for the armaments,
wire for the
railings and a few
purchased fittings
such as the mooring
bollards and jolly
boat.
Although the LCI is
good enough for display
to the general
Model builder
Chris Mead
public, there is still plenty of detail to add, not least
the choice of an appropriate number. Fortunately my
recent correspondence with John Cummer has provided
the answer. He wrote:
‘This is of particular interest to me because my LCI,
the 502, was one of several craft put under British
control as a part of Assault Force George—and we
loaded from those very docks in Southampton. We
carried troops of the Durham Light Infantry and landed
them on Gold Beach at about 1030 hours on 6 June’.
“Overlord” has a number of exhibitions planned over
the last months this year and throughout 2010. With
any luck by the time the first of these comes around
the currently anonymous LCI will be sporting a white
conning tower with blue band and the number ‘502’
on the bows.
I hope I have done these small but important ships
and all those who served in them justice. If you have
any comments, please feel free to contact me at
christopher.mead1@ntlworld.com or through our
society’s website www.lwmrs.co.uk
This layout goes to shows throughout the year. The
next ones are: October 24–25—Warrington;
November 21–22—Southend-on-Sea; December
12–14—Wigan’ and January 16–17—Warwick (this
is my Society’s own show)
I hope some of your members can come along to
one of them, I would really enjoy meeting them.
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Paddle from LCI 93 Found!
After 60 years, a paddle from LCI 93 has been found!
The wreckage of LCI 93, one of the Coast Guard manned LCIs that was lost at Normandy, has disappeared
long ago but now a paddle belonging to that ship; has been found.
Kevin Clarke, an Englishman who owns a house off of Utah Beach in Normandy, recently contacted
LCI Historian John France with the news that the paddle had been found in his attic.. This house
was in the middle of the drop zones for the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions on D Day. The
house was occupied by two German officers at the time.
Along with the pictures shown here, Kevin wrote, “ I have found lots of war memorabilia in and
around the house as it was occupied by two German officers during the war and is right in the centre
of the drop zones for the Airborne Div. I have dug up several spent carbine rounds in the garden - I’m
sure some kind of firefight may have taken place there. It certainly makes gardening interesting!
“My wife picked up 2 life belts off Utah Beach a couple of years ago, still in reasonable condition,
amazing to think that they had been in and out of the water for over 60 years.

California LCIers to Host Pearl Harbor Day Luncheon
California State Director Joe Flynn announces that the annual Pearl Harbor Day luncheon will be
held at 11:30 AM, Saturday December 5, 2009 at Hunter Steak House, 1221 Vista Way,
Oceanside, CA.
“There is easy access to the luncheon location from the freeway,” reports Joe. “There will be no
registration fee, but you’ll have to bring at least one LCI story to get in. (Don’t worry – if you
don’t have one there will be plenty of old timers there with who will be happy to share one of
theirs with you!)
For full information and directions, contact Joe at 627 Bradford Road, El Cajon, CA 92019. Joe
can be reached by phone at 588-7078 or by email at joeglo@msn.com.
Space is limited, so please register by November 27, 2009
The Ohio LCI Association: Report on the Sixth Reunion
On Wednesday, September 9th, 2009, The Ohio LCI Association held their 6th Reunion and dinner
banquet at the Radisson Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. This year was extraordinary due to the fact
that we had in attendance the Navy Public Affairs Officer from Columbus, Keith Bryska, our Guest
Speaker, Command Master Chief, Donald Magnes and (9) Chief Selectees. The Chief Selectees
(due to be promoted to Chief on 9/14/09) asked if they may have the opportunity to attend our
dinner banquet so they could have the pleasure of meeting Navy Veterans that served on LCIs during
WWII.
We started with a Memorial Service to pay tribute to (4) fellow Ohio LCIers that had passed
recently. Six of the Chief Selectees felt honored to participate in the Memorial Service and did
the readings for the Rose Ceremony (written by the National LCI Auxiliary Chaplain Michael
Gatton).
Prior to our Guest Speaker, our own Treasurer, Diane Churchill, gave a talk on Women on the Home
Front and Military during the 1940s. She ended with a few words from “Bell Bottom Trousers” as
a special tribute to her very own Sailor, Dick Churchill. Our Guest Speaker, Command Master
Chief Donald Magnes ((30) years in the Navy) followed with a talk about his Navy Career, the Navy
Today and a heartfelt tribute to all WWII Navy Veterans.
It was decided to hold our Seventh Reunion in combination with the National Reunion, which will
be held in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2010.
Submitted by James Aydelotte
Director, Ohio LCI Association
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MORE INFORMATION ON LCIs AT NORMANDY
In researching the sinking of LCIs 219, sunk
June 11, 1944, off Utah beach by German aircraft,
and LCI 232, sunk by mines off of Utah
Beach, June 6, 1944. I came across an eyewitness
account of the sinking of both LCIs
which I will be posting in future editions of
Elsie Item after I have had a chance to examine
these accounts closely.
However I do have other information. In running
searches on the web for LCI 219, I came
upon a site called “Hyper War” which I found
to be a great source of information. Among
other things I found two interviews done by
the Navy. One was with an officer of LCI 232,
made just two months after it was sunk. The
other was with a member of the salvage crew
that searched and found the wreckage of LCI
232 (but was unable to salvage) off of Utah
Beach.
Subsequently, in scanning the Hyper War web
site I found information concerning Coast
Guardsmen who were decorated for their part
in the invasions at Sicily, Salerno and Anzio. I
was excited to find the record of an LCIer
killed in action who is not listed in the
“Memorial” section on our LCI web site. The
Hyper War site even has this war time address
of this LCIer - a lead for a follow up biography
of this brave man:
John C. Scheuerman
Seaman 1c, USCGR
107 Belenheim Road
Columbus, Ohio
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By
John France
LCI Historian,
European Theater of Operations
I learned that John was awarded a Silver Star
(Posthumously). The citation for this award
reads as follows:
While serving aboard the USS LCI(L) 319 during
the amphibious invasion of Italy, September
9, 1943, observing an enemy fighter plane diving
in for a strafing attack as vessel
approached the assault beaches in the Gulf of
Salerno, he unhesitatingly manned his battle
stations and exposed anti-aircraft gun, and
with cool courage exerted every effort to
direct accurate fire against the plane.
Although mortally wounded before he could
deliver effective fire, he remained steadfast at
his post in the face of imminent death, thereby
contributing materially to the protection of the
ship against further attack.
I looked up LCI 319 on NavSource and found
that it lists five Purple Hearts awarded and
one KIA reported for September 11.
Scheuerman was not listed but perhaps he
died two days after being hit. I will follow up
on this at a later date and write the story.
However, in the meantime, his name will be
added to the “Memorial” list on our website.

These posters inside a German bunker on the Normandy Coast
show that they knew what an LCI was!
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OK, Shipmates! It’s that time again! Here are
a few more...pull up an easy chair, relax and
get ready for some more LCI yarns. The first
two come from George Weber, who served on
LCI(FF) 370.
About Those Eye Exams
Arthur Chermon LCI(L) 364 wrote about ‘fudging’
on passing the recruitment eye exam.
Here’s my version of that endeavor made on
my part.
I was a senior in high school during the
1942-43 school year. I had heard from many
sources that [1] If your grades were good, [2]
If you had accumulated a reasonable number
of credits [3] If you had less than one semester
left before graduation, and [4] If you were
younger than 18 [whereupon you were required
to register for the draft] - THEN if you volunteered
for the military you would receive your
diploma and be allowed to select which service
you wished to join and which service
school you wished to attend.
Well, I could fill the bill on all those requirements,
by the skin of my teeth. I would be 18
on Jan. 12, 1943. School would be resuming
after Christmas break 5 days before that birthday.
So if I attended four of those five days, I
would have less than a semester left before
graduation. So I planned on driving over to
Terre Haute, Indiana on the 11th of January
[my last day at age 17] and volunteer. But to
make certain that the info I had was true, on
the 10th, at school, I went down and spoke to
the high school principal. Yes, that’s true, he
assured me. Then - to my surprise - he called
a ‘whole school assembly,’ and gave a long
speech praising me for my patriotism. Being a
bookish introvert, I was very embarrassed by
this.
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More Sea Stories!
Our school, out in the boondocks, had no
health office or school nurse, so I had never
had an eye exam. It being the Great
Depression, I had never seen a doctor - what
you did only if it seemed certain you were
about to die! So I was quite shocked the next
day when I flunked the eye exam, and was
rejected from enlistment.
Fortunately I was left alone for awhile in the
room with the eye chart, and I proceeded to
memorize the middle three lines on it. Then I
drove as fast as I could the 100 miles to
Indianapolis - the nearest other recruiting station
- getting there just 10 minutes before the
stopped beginning physicals at 3 PM. And
they had the same eye chart, so I ‘passed.’
Upon arrival at Great Lakes boot camp, we had
another physical with the same eye chart, so I
passed again.
And here’s George’s second sea story:
Some Inconveniences of an
Increase in One’s Sense of Smell
After having departed from Pearl Harbor
enroute to the invasion of Iwo Jima, we were
never near any land mass other than small
atolls and isolated islands of the Pacific until
the war was over. Being away from any traffic
fumes or industrial odors, we gradually
regained our sense of smell. At first we
became aware of smells that we could smell
all along, like cooking cabbage, which now
became so strong you almost wanted to jump
overboard to avoid it!
Then we became acutely aware of our own
body smells. With no water condensers on our
pipsqueak of a vessel we had to conserve
what water we had in our potable water tanks.
Water was used ONLY for cooking, drinking,

first-aid wound washing and brushing our
teeth. Latrine flushing, deck scrubbing, washing
our hands and faces, and showering were
done with ocean water.
The “saltwater soap” which was provided
was not very efficient. In large, brown,
unscented cakes, you could scrub and scrub
with it and would never get a lather – jut a
slimy film on your skin to smear around. No
matter how hard or how long you scrubbed,
you could smell your body odor right there in
the shower! We found that the inexpensive
black plastic combs the ship’s stores had
smelled very strongly of vinegar and rotten
meat! We would pinch our noses shut when we
combed our hair. It would seem that the fumes
from our ship’s engines would have prevented
this “olfactory recovery” but they didn’t.
From Iwo Jima we went to Leyte Gulf, then
to the invasion of Okinawa. After Okinawa
was “secured” I got ashore for a stroll around.
Having grown up on a small farm in Indiana, I
was enjoying the smells of the earth, crushed
plants, etc. (Also I was having trouble keeping
vertical on the uneven ground, having walked
on nothing but smooth metal decks for months
on end!) THEN I smelled a smell that made
me suddenly very homesick for that Indiana
farm. It was a smell that seemed on the borderline
between pleasant and unpleasant. but
mainly pleasant to me because of its nostalgic
content.
I started following my nose into a small village
of stone fences and stone houses. The
smell kept getting stronger and, finally, I had
zeroed in on it. It was just over this stone
fence. I found a stone to get up on, looked
over that fence and voila! – there was the
source of this “Indiana Farm” smell – a chicken
coop!
I guess you could say “Nostalgia is where
you find it!
Making a Ship Sailing
the Hard Way
From Connie Mulherin, LCI(G) 561
We’ve carried stories from Connie in the past,
but he’s always good for at least one more.
From his memoirs, here is one about an adventure
he and some of his shipmates during
March, 1945, while in the Gulf of Leyte
Thanks to our “benevolent” skipper (LTJG Keith
Mann), we had a rather involved adventure on
our last day in Leyte Bay. We had deliberately
run the ship nose first onto the beach in order
to take on water. A few of us – Dick Cole,
Milt Sanford, Ed Donahue, Joe McDermott,
Walt Whitlow and myself- (a motley crew, I
might add) wandered away from the ship while
the task was being performed. Unfortunately
they finished taking on water before the allotted
time and backed off the beach, leaving us
stranded. We had another LCI (the 560) radio
out to them, asking the ship to come in to
pick us up, but Mann replied that we had to
get back to the ship on our own since he hadn’t
given us permission to leave ship. We
decided that the proper rebuttal was, “to hell
with him - let’s just stay on the beach.” Of
course, we didn’t signal that message out to
the 561, but we all agreed that it was the
proper course or action.
We spent the balance of the morning checking
out local landmarks until we were lucky
enough to bum a lunch aboard the 560, which
was also on the beach for water. While aboard
the 560 we learned that our entire group –
Group 61 – had just received orders to move
out that evening and decided we had better
get back to our ship in a hurry. We contacted
Mann again, but, he still refused to come in to
get us. He ordered us to return immediately.
The 560 planned on being on the beach for
several hours, so our group of dissidents decided
we simply had to swim the five or six miles
out to the ship or we’d be declared AWOL and
find ourselves in an even more involved situation.
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Then a problem arose. Walt Whitlow couldn’t
swim and we had doubts about the ability
of skinny Joe McDermott to cover the distance.
We then attempted to hire a local outrigger
to carry us out, but to no avail. They
were all busy, so swimming was our only
option.
Scouring the beach, we found two very
large timbers, 12” x 12” square and about
eight feet long. We had no idea who owned
them or why they were there, but decided that
they were our only remaining mode of transportation
to carry Whitlow and our “question
mark” Joe McDermott, back to the 5561.
We took off our clothes and time them to
the beams, making certain Walt was secure on
his beam. We had hoped he could sit on it as
we pushed him and the beam ahead of us, but
it proved to be too unstable, so he had to hang
onto the side as we were doing. We made the
several mile swim by pushing the beam ahead,
swimming behind it to catch up, and then
hanging on for a rest. It was push some more,
rest some more, on and on.
Some of us were strong swimmers and had
no problem with the distance, but we decided
it was better that we stick together. That we
did for about three hours, until we finally
reached the 561. The crew, who had learned
of Mann’s edict to us, were cheering as we
arrived alongside. Mann rewarded our return
by placing us on a few days of mess cook duty.
The ship raised anchor only two hours after our
return, and we left Leyte Bay and the
Philippine Islands for the last time.
I sometimes wonder who those timbers
belonged to. I don’t wonder too deeply
though.
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The Times,
Trials and
Tribulations of
USS LCI 455
By Bob Martin,
LCI(G) 455
Ormond Beach, FL
Bob Martin sent us several
incidents related to
him by his shipmates
that he felt were worthy
of being in our “Sea
Bob Martin, July,
1945, Age 19, after
19 months in the
South Pacific.
Yarns” Here are a couple that we’re sure you
will find of interest.
My First Encounter with Rockets
(recounted to Bob by Jim Mitchell, GM3C,
Houston, Texas)
Marshall Islands, January 31, 1944. We were
on our way to the invasion of the Roi-Namure
Islands (Kwajalein Atoll).
Cruisers and Destroyers had been softening
up the beaches before the LCIs lined up and
headed for the beach. We had rocket launchers
on each side of the ship, each launcher
containing 12 rockets for a total of 144 rockets.
All 144 rockets were launched in about
three seconds. With all the LCIs firing, you
can imagine how many rockets would be in the
air at one time.
Having never seen anything like this in my
life, it was very impressive to me. When the
rockets hit the beach they threw up so much
dirt, sand and debris that you could not see
the island.
Excited by this awesome display, I yelled
out:
“Holy Mackerel, we sunk the island!.
The Captain, LT William J. Harrison, yelled
back: “You damn fool! You can’t sink an
island!”
The old mustang was right – you can’t sink
an island!

Feeding the Marines
(recounted to Bob by Marvin Carpenter, S1/C
Runnelstown, MS
It was at Peleliu. One day when we threw
some garbage overboard, the Tuna had a feeding
frenzy. They went after everything. Some
of our fishermen on board threw in lines with
bare hooks and pulled in tuna until we had a
deck full. The feeding frenzy ended just as
fast as it started and the fishermen could not
catch another tuna.
So what to do with all that tuna? We signaled
to Marines on shore and asked they
wanted some. They were on K-rations at the
time.
“No,” they replied, “but if you have some
extra steaks we’ll come out and get them”
Extra steaks? We had forgotten what a
beef steak looked like. We told them so and
evidently they changed their minds, for they
did come out and get some of our tuna.
The Great Storm of October, 1945
(from Bob Martin himself)
We were hit by the big storm on March 25,
1945, when we were on our way to the invasion
of Okinawa. We were going north and
west, heading straight into a 40 to 50 knot
gale. Rain squalls and spray reduced visibility
and made steering laborious. We drank lots of
coffee at night to stay awake for our watches.
After watch and all that coffee we would hit
the sack but our eyes would not close. While
we were in our sacks we had to hold on tight
or we would have fallen out.
The ship rode the storm like a cork and
pitched just like on in the terrible channels.
Sometimes our bow was out of water; sometimes
our stern. We could see the screws on
some of the ships around us when the water
went under their sterns. The waves were
about twelve stories high; so high that we
could not tell where the ocean stopped and
the sky began. It felt like we were always on
LCI crew loading rockets off Florida Island in
the South Pacific.
the edge and could capsize at any time. It
sure gave us a funny feeling to stand by the
railing and look down to a depth of 12 feet;
then to be at the bottom of some of those
waves, looking up at those 12 story waves.
We had one advantage – we had been at sea
so long that only a few of us got sea sick. We
had a pretty tough crew.
13

Our final sea story is from Walt Shults, another
underage sailor. California State Director Joe
Flynn forwarded it to us as an example of the
kinds of oral history he hopes other affiliates
will be collecting.
Walt wrote:”
“I served in the US Naval Reserve, joining at
15 years of age and spent three years two
months and seven days in the service of our
beloved country. I trained at the Amphibious
Training Base, Soloman’s Island, MD, and then
sailed on LCI 484, transiting the Panama
Canal.
“Later I served aboard LCI 804 with the staff
of Commander, Group 14. My last LCI was
LCI(M) 807 participating in operations in the
Philippines, Leyte Gulf, Guam, Saipan and
Okinawa. Our role was to provide mortar support
to the troops on the beach.
“After that we were sent to Sasebo, Japan, to
clear mines. As the minesweepers would cut a
mine loose and it came to the surface we
would sink or blow up the floating mines.
Some mine explosions were very close to our
ship.. That was my scariest duty. Compared to
that, the air attacks and shore fire we had
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endured during those invasions seemed to be a
piece of cake. In all honesty I was a scared
kid. I went the skipper and told him I was
underage. He said “Forget it. You will go
home when the same time the rest of us do!”
“LCI(M) 804 (m) was credited with shooting
down a betty Bomber. John West was the
name of the gunner to get the kill. I was the
gunner across from John. I saw the bomber but
I could not get the safe off in time. As the
plane went overhead, so close you could see
the illuminated exhausts- from the twin
engines, John followed the bomber with his
20mm. He hit the bomber with a short burst
and it crashed into a hillside across the channel
between Ie Sheima and Okinawa.
“There is a history written by the Captain of
the 807. I pulled it out of the Personnel file
and added it to the archives on LCI(M) 807.”

LCI 653 to be Scuttled in Alaska
Over the past years we have heard reports of an LCI being used in the Alaskan fish industry. Now
we have received news of its impending demise.
Dr. John Odin Jensen, maritime historian and archaeologist of the Sea Education
Association, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, recently contacted LCI Historian Dennis Blocker with
the sad news that this veteran LCI which, after its WWII military service, was used for four
decades as a pilot boat and in the fisheries in Alaska, was to be scuttled in the near future.
Dr. Jensen, who specializes in historic ship preservation, recently inspected the vessel that
served in WWII as LCI 653, and found that the hull was far too deteriorated to consider preserving.
“The ships history, however, is another matter.” said Dr. Jensen.
It was this that motivated him to contact Blocker after locating his address on the USS LCI
National Association website.
“I don’t know if you can help me find out more about this ship’s military service or if you
have any members who served on it, but I thought I should notify your organization of the pending
scuttling.” Dr, Jensen wrote. He noted that this was a sad but necessary end to the ship and far
better than scrapping.
Blocker referred Jensen’s email to Hal Bleyhl, who, in addition to his duties as Treasurer of
the LCI Association, also monitors the website, replying to all questions or contacts. Bleyhl
reported to Dr. Jensen that, we do not have anyone from the 653 on our current mail list but that
last year we had one member, Kenneth T. Walzak , who had served aboard her as an Electricians
Mate.
Bleyhl also told Dr. Jensen of the work of the Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum in preserving
the 713 and suggested that they would be interested in any usable parts and would
undoubtedly like to contact the present owners before the 653 is scuttled. In reply, Dr. Jensen
told Bleyhl that he had forwarded this information it to his contact in the Alaska State Historic
Preservation Office.
Jensen told Bleyhl that he didn’t know if there were any usable parts--but at same time did
not know that there are not. He reported that the ownership of the ship is in limbo, but that in
his unofficial capacity he was suggesting contacting the 713 folks in his trip report.
Navsource,com, the website with information on all U.S. Navy ships, past and present, has
the following information posted on the 653:
A 351 class LCI, she was laid down on June 14,1944 by the New Jersey Shipbuilding Co.,
Barber, NJ; Launched, July 14, 1944; and commissioned as USS LCI(L)-653, on July 22, 1944;
She was decommissioned and put in reserve on June 6,1946. Renamed Avocet, she was reclassified
as a Coastal Minesweeper (Underwater Locator), AMCU-16, on March 7, 1952.
In yet a third re-birth she was recommissioned, December 9 1953; and reclassfied for her
final tour of duty as a U.S. Navy vessel as a Coastal Minehunter, MHC-16, on February 7, 1955.
On May 20, 1955, she was decommissioned at Stockton, CA; approved for disposal on December
21, 1959, and struck from the Naval Register on January 1, 1960.
15

16
More on LCIs at the Bay of Pigs
In our April, 2009, issue we carried Ralph Langenheim’s interesting article about the role LCIs –
or perhaps we should say former LCIs – played in the aborted attempt to invade Cuba at the Bay
of Pigs in April of 1961. You may recall that the two ships mentioned were, at that time, named
the Blager and the Barbara J, both modified round conn, bow door LCIs. Board Member Gordon
Smith, who is also Chairman of the Board of the Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum, after reading
this account made contact with Juan L. Cosculluela, an old friend of his who was actually in on
the Bay of Pigs operation. The information he passed on was most interesting and we share it
with you here. He wrote:
Hi Gordon,
Nice to hear from you and your Association. “An old salt like you never docks—just keeps on sailing!”
Responding to your inquiries, this is what I have found out so far. Both vessels were built as
Landing Craft Infantry.
The Barbara J was the first unit of this type to be incorporated into our fleet of two. She was properly
identified by Commander Rene Cancio, the senior Cuban Senior Officer when in Miami on the
second week of December 1960, en route to the training area on Vieques Island. It shows the
number NRL-28 (Naval Research Laboratory). On entering Vieques the NRL-28 was replaced by he
letters BJ for “Barbara J.”
While serving with the U.S. Navy the LCI Longspur had the number LCI 884. This vessel was later
modified and classified as AMCU/MCH-28 (coastal minesweeper, underwater locator)
The U.S. Navy records show that it was sold for scrap on May 18, 1960 to Mils Marine Company.
[I believe this was] a convenient smoke screen to hide her records.
The Barbara J continued to serve with the Maritime Fleet of the CIA under the Mongoose Plan
from 1962 to 1965 under the following names: Villaro, Explorer and finally Petrel.
Based on the information about the Barbara J and following the same line of thought , the Blagar
must be a converted LCI to an AMCU/UMHC but was shown as sold for scrap in 1960 in the area
of Florida or Atlantic Fleet.
We came across the following three records:
1. The LCI 869 was renamed Gold Crest, reported as struck from the Naval Register in 1960 and
sold for scrap.
2. The LCI 976 was renamed Ortola, reported struck from the Naval Register on July 8, 1960 and
sold for scrap to Marlene Bloise.
3. The LCI 515 was renamed Blackbird; reported as struck from the Naval Register in 1960 and
fate unknown.
I was a Cuban crew member, and boarded the vessel in Miami on January 23, 1961, sailing to
Vieques.

The Chaplain’s Corner
The Power of Remembrance
A FEW YEARS AGO, Dr. Fred Craddock went back to the little Tennessee town,
where he grew up. His brother was ill, so he wanted to visit him. Late one
Sunday afternoon, Craddock decided to drop by the small Disciples Church
where he had worshipped as a child. He went in, saw a friend, and they walked
around together. Dr. Craddock noticed the church had installed some new stained glass windows in the
sanctuary. He examined them carefully; they were beautiful. But, he did not recognize any of the names
on the memorial plaques. He asked his friend about them.
“Fred,” his friend replied, “we got a bargain on those windows. They were made for a church in
St. Louis, but the stained glass company got the measurements wrong, so they didn’t fit. They decided
to sell the windows for whatever they could get. We bought them, and for a while we wondered what to
do about the memorials. Then we decided to leave them like they were. They remind us there are people
who served the kingdom we didn’t know anything about.”
“People who served we don’t know anything about.” Sounds a lot like the LCIs in WWII, doesn’t
it? Little ships and crews that served admirably, performed courageously, and fulfilled their purpose.
In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes: “I thank my God every time I remember
you,” (1:3, NIV). He then reminds this little group of people to remember their purpose in life.
Paul knew that to lose one’s purpose for life was a tragic experience. It usually involves a lack of
appreciation for the past, no responsibility for the present, and no concern for the future. Such misdirection
in life can only produce disaster.
In the hopes that modern civilization must never forget the painful lessons that World War II and
the Holocaust taught us, the distinguished Jewish writer Elie Wiesel delivered a lecture entitled: “What
the Ancient Masters Can Teach Us.” He started in the Book of Genesis and went all the way to the biblical
character Job. The message is outstanding as Wiesel lifts the central truths from biblical stories to
instruct us. He ends the speech by saying that it is a great tragedy to have an important message to
share, but to have no messengers. An even greater tragedy is to have a great message and a grand
messenger, but the people do not listen to the messenger or the message. However, Wiesel says, the
greatest tragedy is to have a great message, a great messenger, and the people even listening to the
messenger, but to forget the message and the fact that it was from God.
Yes, the power of remembrance is very important, if a nation and civilization are to survive. Our
memories must give us guidance and hope. Memories should be a blueprint for future aspirations. We
must neither forget the message nor the messenger, but most importantly that the author of the message
was God.
All Saints Day is November 1. It is traditionally a time for celebrating the power of remembrance.
It tells us that we are here today because of the faithful witness of a group of people, some of whose
names we don’t know. But, the assurance of All Saints Day is that no life is forgotten. If God is good,
then all that is good in the world is never lost.
Thank you, crew members, for your service, for your faithful witness, and for reminding the generations
which follow of the importance and power of remembrance.
Agape,
Mike Gatton
17

18
IN MEMORIAM
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of these
shipmates who have sailed for their final port since our last newsletter
“Almighty and eternal God, from whose love we cannot be parted, either by death or life;
hear our prayers and thanksgiving for those whom we here remember.
“Grant unto sorrowing family and shipmates the blessing of your peace that
passes understanding.”
LCI 1
Curtis S. Blutelier
LCI 31
Richard A. Adams
LCI 63
Richard P. Brown
LCI 64
William J. Goss
LCI 236
Joseph Calapa
LCI 244
Frank Walton
LCI 336
Robert Austin
LCI 337
Francis E. Smith
LCI 456
Fred P. Armstrong
LCI 551
Elmer G. Nicholson
LCI 646
Paul W. Ahlstedt
LCI 699
Robert J. Morrow
LCI 703
Ivan R. Zeigler
LCI 746
David J. Schaeffer
LCI 804
George F. Hybert
LCI 958
Roman J. Lesniak
LCI 820
Kenneth Drummond
LCI 1012
Frederick J. Magiera
LCI 1018
Bernard J. Rohde
LCI 1053
Daniel C. Leedy

Elsie Item Newsletters
Being Scanned into LCI Website
A project started at the Portland reunion by Affiliates is underway to scan all issues of the Elsie
Item newsletter, from the first issue, printed in August 1991 up to the most recent issue into the
USS LCI Website. We are starting at both ends and working towards the middle. Dennis
Blocker, Pacific Historian, scanned in issues 1 through 9. Affiliate Robert E. Wright, Jr. has
agreed to scan issues 43 to 53 and we already have issues 54 through 68 on the website. Jim
McCarthy left me a set of Elsie Items from No. 1 through 60 of which Wright has issues 43 to
53. Jim Talbert, Assn. Chairman sent a complete set of Elsie Items to Blocker for his scanning
effort.
Currently 23 issues of Elsie Item are on the LCI Website. Webmaster Hal Bleyhl has set up a
separate heading, under “Links” called Elsie Item Newsletters. If you would like to read the 23
issues currently on the website, here is the pathway in three easy steps. These steps give you
the Website and you might want to look around if you are not familiar with the site. Lots of good
stuff there.
http://www.usslci.com/
http://www.usslci.com/html/lcilinks.html
http://www.usslci.com/html/newsletterpage.html
Or, if you want a shortcut, skip the first two steps and enter the last one in the search window
and it will take you directly to the Elsie Items, then you can start reading. If you do not have a
computer, you might ask a family member with a computer to show you how to get into the website.
Make them go slow and take notes. Then you can go to a public library and use one of
their computers. I suggest you start with issues 54 through 68; they are quicker to open. And if
you are really lucky, your relative may get hooked on Elsie Items too and ask you “How do I join
this Association?” At which time you reach into your back pocket and pull out the folded LCI
Membership application, which you always carry, and present it to them. Good luck.
OOPS!!
With a bit of egg on our face, we need to make a correction from something in the last
issue. In the “Sea Stories” section we included one called “Air Raids, Monkeys, and
Dogs”(page 12). It was a good yarn, but we got the author’s name wrong. Tim Benton,
son of George Benton, gave us this correction:
“It seems somewhere along the line my name was switched with my father’s. He was a
MoMM2/c on the 752 and is a current LCI National Association member. I am his son
and should be listed as an affiliate member.”
Thanks for the correction, Tim! We’ll try to be more careful in the future.
19

20
Welcome Aboard!
Sign of the Times! New Affiliates outweigh LCIers! A good sign for the future of the
Affiliates as they lead the way in the future.
A hearty welcome to each of these who have joined since our last issue.
AFFILIATES
Mark P. Helling
River Falls, WI
Pam Lareau,
Annandale, VA
Capt. Stephen J. Coughlin,
Virginia Beach, VA
REGULARS
Duane Heft, Regular
LCI 987
Rapid City, MI
Arthur Jaseau, Regular
LCI 1094
Santa Rosa, CA
First man down the ramp! An LCI sailor anchors the line supporting GIs as they
disembark at Formis, Italy. From left to right: LCIs 670, 672, 669, and 673

An Iwo Jima Remembrance
By
Nick Grosso,
Ship’s Cook, LCI (G) 450
A mortar explodes near LCI 450 at Iwo Jima
Editor’s note: We are indebted to Vaughn Hampton (Author of the “Underage Sailor” carried elsewhere
in this issue) for this account of LCI(G) 450 at Iwo Jima. Previous issues have told the
overall story of the brave little ships that braved the Japanese gunfire in order to provide protection
for the UDT swimmers. We felt this piece was an excellent addition to those accounts since
it is a first-person account of one LCIers experiences on that eventful day.
Saipan, Feb 11 – Feb 13 1945. Practicing ship beaching - 09:00 to 11:30 hours, then again 14:30
to “ 16:00 hours. At GO, sometimes firing some of our rockets. Working with the UDT groups -
something is up! 2/14/45 - Underway from Saipan -some gunnery practice.
February 16 -Captain Brady calls an All Hands Muster that evening at 19:00 hours. He tells us
we are going to invade Iwo Jima tomorrow. Shows us a map of the Island and where we are to
attack.
Reveille was at 04:00 hours on 17 February 1945. We had a good breakfast and then we all
turned to our guns and duties. GQ at 08:00 hours - we were ready. At 10:00 hours, we start in on
Iwo Jima. All guns manned, all Rocket launchers loaded and ready. The Galley is secured; I go to
my position, 2nd loader on # 2 20mm, starboard well deck. We begin our attack -7 LCI’s lined up
abreast moving towards the beach. We watch the ‘Corsair’ planes diving and their bombs being
released while over us. The Battlewagons, Cruisers, and the Destroyers are all firing at the island.
21

All we could do is watch and listen.
Slowly we move in closer, the orders come
to load and standby. We come closer - I can
see Mt. Suribachi. The big ships stop firing and
the planes leave; now we’re on our own. The
order comes down, “Commence Firing!” I think
Lacy was 1st loader and Donaldson was the
triggerman. We began firing; I start passing
20mm magazines to Lacy and on we go. There
is no time for thinking, only for the job you’re
supposed to do.
Now the order comes: , “cease fire, standby
for Rocket firing.” We’re only about a foot
away from the launchers. Only a metal partition
separates our crew from 200 rockets. The
rockets head inland as they are fired and we
crouch down to avoid the Rocket blast in case
of? “A mishap?”
The order comes down to resume firing. We
have Schmidt, a gunner’s mate, standing in
between the 20mm guns giving us our orders.
Our ship is being hit again and again and the
bow is on fire. No problem. We keep firing as
the damage control crew comes through with
hoses. An officer brings a pump called a
‘handy-Billy’. They begin to pump water on the
bow fire. Then suddenly the water stops -an
armor piercing shell hits, cutting through all
the fire hoses. We’re still firing and the ships
still getting hit. The forward fire is still burning.
The guns on the well-deck are right above
the ammo room which has plenty of ammo
down there. No hoses, no water –so what’s the
captain going to do?. The men on the bow gun
can’t fire anymore, the deck is starting to sag
from the heat of the fire and the Jap shells are
still hitting us. There is only one thing the
Captain could do; he has to think about the
safety of the crew. The Jap shells coming in
don’t count, so he orders the forward part of
the ship to cease firing and move aft, which
we did.
Most of the gun crews run up the ladder to
the main deck, but I decided to go through the
hatchway which was located below the ladder
and go aft through the mess hall. What a mistake!
As I got through and shut the hatchway
door, a horrible sight greeted me. There were
22
some of my shipmates lying on the deck bleeding
and being taken care of by Doc Baumber
and his crew. Unbelievable! At our gun positions
there was no problem, I just had to pass
the 20mm shell magazines to Lacy -in here it
was chaos!
I could see men “bleeding from their mouth,
eyes and ears. Some were still, some were
screaming. I recognized Coggins and Cognac;
they worked for me in the Galley. They probably
were shell-shocked with the concussion
from the blast when the Jap shells hit. You
could hardly walk through; there was so little
room to do so. The port side of the ship was
all blown away, debris was everywhere. The
Captains room, the officer’s room, the officer’s
head, and the Radio room had large shell holes
that I could look through and see the other LCI
ships. Our mess tables were hit and about that
time somebody ordered me to get out of there.
I went to the fantail and then up to the gun
deck where I found that the number two 40mm
guns had been hit. Men were lying on the
deck wounded and I don’t know who was working
on them.
Just then there was a big explosion and we
all hit the deck. The men working on the
injured from the number two 40mm covered
the wounded men with their bodies. I remember
that because I thought I saw Frank
Ferrucci covering one of the men When I
spoke to Ferrucci years later, he told me that
he wasn’t at Iwo Jima, He had been assigned
off the ship. I guess I was also seeing things.
The other 40mm guns were still firing when
suddenly they stopped. We started moving out
of the beach area. Looking back I could see
that all of our group had been hit and was on
fire. One ship was floundering and on fire. We
finally got out of there, all hands helping to put
out the fires and cleaning up hundreds of shell
casings that were scattered all over the deck.
These were being tossed over the side.
I went forward to help and saw that my magazine
ready-box was all blown apart. There was
still some ammo in the ready-box when it got
hit. Then I realized that if the Captain had not
ordered us aft, Lacy, Donaldson and I would

have probably been gone. The Captain mentioned
this in the log which he kept while up in
the Conn. He saw this magazine ready-box blow
up when it got hit. He saved our lives by issuing
that order to go aft. He later said that he was
concerned that the forward fire would get to the
ammo room and make a much larger explosion.
The two 20mm on the well deck was just
above the ammo storage room. As we cleaned
up we found lots of Japanese dud shells that
we tossed overboard. We were told that we
could not keep them for souvenirs.
As we went forward, the fire was put out.
We went forward into the bow area. It was all
burned. There was a big hole on the port side,
maybe a 5 or 6 feet opening big enough for a
person to walk through it. It went right down
to the waterline and water was coming in as
the ship rolled. It was not a lot , but we needed
something to block the water from coming
in.
Meanwhile we had pulled alongside APD-11
ship to transfer our wounded men: R. Coggins,
S2/c, G. Tripp GM2/c, Ed Schmidt GM3/c, R.
Cognac S1/c. Ensign R. Kingsley also went
but he returned to LCI 450 ship after treatment.
J. Musselman S2/c later died from his
wounds. Some of the crew had little shrapnel
nicks. When some removed their life preserver
and shirt, their skivvies showed little blood
spots if they were nicked. These men weren’t
moved to the APD-11. In spite of all this we
felt that we were lucky compared to some
other ships. The 449 was hit badly. Our entire
group of 11 LCI’s was hit and we lost the LCI
474. There were about 550 men aboard our
ships. One list I saw showed 209 men killed
and wounded. We lost all of the port side rocket
launchers and some on the starboard side
where the 20mm ready-box exploded when hit
by a shell.
The Navy said that all but two LCI’s were
seaworthy. With that hole in the bow at sea
level we wondered how we were supposed to
be seaworthy! After all this was over and we
put out the fire, dispatched our wounded, we
were told to anchor in a certain area using our
stern anchor as we’d lost our bow anchor
when it was shot off.
Now it was all over All the tension and
readiness was finally over and we could finally
relax! Then the famous words came over the
PA system. “Secure the galley personnel”. So I
went to the galley and found it was OK. There
were no holes, and just minor damage, so we
cleaned it up and got started. I had lost some
of my galley crew in this action but the
Captain said, “Do what you can do!” We
served coffee first and then some chow.
I don’t think I was scared during that whole
battle, as we’d been through a couple before.
But as we relaxed, still cleaning and repairing,
our biggest concern was the hole in our bow. A
pump had to be set up as we were taking in
seawater and so we had a round the clock
watch to keep check on it. The hole at sea
level was about 4 feet wide and when the ship
moved, water came in.
While all these things were going on was
the time where I had my greatest fright. I was
standing on deck, talking and relaxing, when
we saw splashes in the sea. What was that we
wondered? The Japanese were firing their guns
and shells were landing near us. The Captain
was notified and after he saw what was happening,
he gave the order to weigh anchor. The
anchor was slow coming up; the shells were
still landing around us. Some Cruisers had
already been hit. This was the evening of the
17th, the day we’d gone through our battle.
This is when I got scared! I was really shaking.
We were sitting ducks, as we couldn’t move
until the anchor was up.
I took cover, wondering why I was staying
out on deck. Where was I to go? Believe it or
not, I went below to the engine room thinking I
was safer here. I was really scared. Whoever I
met down there, I don’t recall who it was,
greeted me with “Hey Cookie, what are you
doing down here?” I said we were being
shelled by the Jap’s. (Now he was scared!)
What made me think I was in a safer area by
coming down here? Then I felt the ship start
moving and I went back up topside.
I was really frightened, I hate to admit it but
23

it’s true. When you’re preparing
for a battle it’s one thing -
you are busy with your duties.
But standing there and just
looking around and then seeing
shell splashes around your
anchored ship is a different
story. You feel you are trapped!
We couldn’t respond to this
type of shooting, as we had no
big guns. We finally made it
out of the dangerous area, but
I don’t think I slept that night,
as I as too nervous.
The next day was the 18th
and everything was fairly routine.
We had to report our condition
to the command and
they said we were seaworthy
and to standby in our area. I
believe that here is one reason
why there is no mention of our
ships by the so-called writers.
They all were just arriving in
the area and did not know
what we had been through.
That’s why all the Iwo Jima
stories begin on February 19,
1945; they did not know what
happened two days earlier on
February 17, 1945
We watched the big ships continue the
shelling of Iwo Jima and the planes making
their bombing runs.. The Iwo Jima invasion
began at about 1230 hours on February 19,
1945. We started heading towards Iwo’s
beach wondering what we could do in our condition.
We had only three guns that could fire.
We finally pulled up to LCI 988 and LCS 51
and gave them whatever ammo we had left.
We then returned back to our area, relieved
that we were not going to have to go in again!
If called upon to do so we would have gone
back in regardless.
Now I knew we were part of the new Navy,
the Amphibs. Although the word ‘amphibious’
appeared a lot, we had never picked it up. We
called ourselves “Gunboats.” Our group was all
24
Many LCIs did “China Duty” after the cessation of hostilities.
Here, LCI 618, moored at Tientsen, China, prepares to take
on a load of civilians for transportation elsewhere.
Navy; no marines had been added to our group.
Now Amphib Forces are mostly Marines!
Memories do play tricks on you. As I have
been writing these reminiscences I’ve thought
again about how I saw Frank Ferrucci covering
the wounded 40mm gun crewman on the starboard
side. As I mentioned, when I talked to
Frank, he told me that he was transferred off
the ship before we hit Iwo. It could have been
one of our signalman who covered the men;
maybe Elmore or Rochon. They were “skivvies
wavers” and their general quarters station
would have been at the gun deck flag rack.
The other signalmen, Ed Gray and Mike Ross
were up in the Conning tower. Goldy was on
the helm. That’s all I remember about who
else might have been in that area.

A Good LCI Sea Story—
Told by a Newspaper Reporter
We’re indebted to Joe Flynn for sending us this 1944 news report about LCI 450 at Kwajelein.. It
comes from a biography written by Vaughn Hampton
‘ CUSSED ‘ LCI SAVES FIFTY FROM DROWNING
By Robert Trumbul
(Copyright by New York Times)
ABOARD AN LCI,
KWAJALEIN SOUTH PACIFIC
FBRUARY 4, 1944
(LCI (G)450)
Navy men on the big sleek warships refer to an LCI (Landing Craft Infantry) as “ A Barge With A
House On It.” These ugly ducklings of the navy are seldom noticed except to be cussed or good
naturedly derided, and they do a ticklish job under fire with scant credit. This one happened to
have saved 50 men from drowning in the furious white water that pounded the sharp coral ledge
around Ennubirr island, during the marine landings there January 31, 1944. These small-beamed
158-foot craft are designed to snub against a beach and debark assault troops down a ramp.
Sometimes, instead of bringing in troops, they are gunboats that knock out enemy positions on
the beach.
That’s what this one was doing that morning, when a strong current pushed her onto the coral
reef. A battleship was bombarding the island, the shells whistling above the LCI. In the roar of the
gunfire Lt. (jg) Thomas F. Kennedy, jr., Bryn Mawr, Penn., who has been Captain of this humble
ship since she was commissioned at Barber, N.J., couldn’t hear the noise of his vessel going
aground.
The situation was humiliating, Kennedy thought, but he didn’t have time to worry about it then,
for four Alligators (troop-carrying amphibious tractors) were capsizing on the reefs 100 yards
astern.
MEN EXHAUSTED-
The men struggling in the water were near exhaustion, and the Alligators in the wave behind them
had struck some. Dr. R. B. Hardy, marine surgeon, once was pinned under an Alligator, but he was
a powerful man, a former Harvard All American football player and he managed to break free. Lt.
D. N. Boydston was near drowning, later he said that as he was battered under the waves, he
seemed to see a picture of his wife. The LCI threw a line to Dr. Hardy, P. S. Layser, J. R. Boltuc
and A. J. Tiedway, the four strongest swimmers among the overturned marines--in fact, the only
ones who were not too beaten by the waves to swim. The line was hurled from the LCI’s fantail, and
25

the four marines fought with it through the surf
to a reef buoy, where they tied the end after losing
the line several times on the way.
Now it developed that the wash of the ship
was strong enough to break the hold of the
other castaways on the line, so Kennedy
brought out two more stout ropes, which Layser
and Tiedway held in their powerful hands so as
to form a square around the outside of the
viciously tugging current. By this route all of the
stranded men were brought aboard, three of
them so exhausted that they had to be carried
by Boltuc.
INSTALLS HOSPITAL-
Meanwhile Hardy remained aboard the LCI and
set up a hospital in the radio room, with
Pharmacist’s Mate 1/c Sydney Baumber of
Boston. All of the marines were aboard by 1 P.M.
After a continuous two-hour battle with the sea,
two of them were dead. Kennedy was about to
order his lines hauled in for he needed them, when
two more Alligators commanded by a Lieutenant
Montgomery also capsized on the reef. Three men
drowned immediately, and Ensign O. J. Banasik
had taken so much salt water aboard that he had
to be worked over for three hours before he
revived. In all, 50 men were saved.
26
Hardy and Baumber stripped them all and had
them lie on the LCI’s broad fantail for examination.
Some of them has serious cuts from the
sharp coral, which they were unaware of, and
the Doctor worked over these. Meanwhile the
bombardment of the islands continued.
CREW SHARES-
Kennedy put the sickest cases, including
Boydston and Banasik on cots in the mess hall.
The LCI crew broke out all of the ships cigarettes
and gave their guests dry clothes and ammunition
for the weapons they had salvaged. Two
days later Kennedy put the 50 men in small
boats with a supply of food and landed them on
Ennuebing.
Kennedy had time then to talk the matter over
with his subordinate officers- Ensign Gerald
Conners, of Toledo, Executive Officer; Lt. (jg)
Robert Main, of Middletown, Oh. Engineer; and
Ensign Wallace Brady of Bancroft, Wis. Young
Kennedy was not at all impressed by the fact that
he had saved 50 men to fight another day. Instead
he was extremely downcast because going on the
reef had prevented his fulfilling his mission of
shooting up Ennubirr beach. “I hope,” he said ruefully
this morning in his tiny, spotless wardroom,”
that we get a chance to redeem ourselves.”
Getting ready
for the next
invasion, LCIs
213, 339, 16,
12 and 33 fill
the dock at
Penarth, New
South Wales

“A Plug for a Distinguished Nervous Cross”
Author Unknown
Submitted by Fred Anderson, USS LCI 990
Geneva, Illinois
Listen, Men, I’ve a tale to tell
Of mighty midgets that sail like . . . .well
With a word to the wise on larger ships
To forget those “small craft” transfer slips.
Men don’t “live” on LCIs
They just “exist” under strain and stress,
Tossed about like a bundle of peas,
Inside their ship on the calmest of seas
Did you ever eat on an LCI?
It has been done at times, I guess
But the simplest meal can come to grief
When we hit the wake of a floating leaf!
An order comes to stow the hatches,
(For days on end we all wear patches)
What dire calamity caused all this?
A passing school of playful fish!
Then “O Two Hundred” all’s secure,
The anchor is deep and secure,
And even the sea’s like granite
She’s taking off for another planet.
The ‘battered life” is just one item,
We’ve many more –just let me cite ‘em:
We scrub our whites, they come back black,
Our clothes line, boys, is behind the stack!
The spacious lockers, I might mention
Are always full – and gosh, then tension!
I wish the Navy were more lenient,
Four rubber sides would be convenient.
Just one more point to end my tale
Of little ships and how the sail,
Half submarine; half aeroplane
They’re a secret weapon – gone insane!
Ah, yes, my friend, if big ships bore you,
The LCI is here just waiting for you.
With loving care, from fore and aft,
The Navy designed ‘em – and laughed and laughed!
27

Troops Board the 1091;
Stay Overnight, Off Loaded in Morning
By
Joe Flynn
California State Chairman
For the first time since the 1950s, troops were sleeping in the troop compartments of the
USS(L)1091 in Eureka, CA. The Eureka Troop of the Boy Scouts were overnight guests Sept. 26
and 27 of the Humboldt Bay Naval Air/Sea Museum.
As reported in previous Elsie Item articles, the bunks in the troop compartments of the 1091
have been restored, four high. LCI sailors who have occupied these “beauty rest” canvas bunks
may not want to repeat the experience, but that young Troop of Boy Scouts jumped at the
chance—and jumped into the bunks.
According to Captain Ralph Davis, “The boys had a blast.”
Joint Maneuvers Underway:
Eureka LCI Invasion Reinforced by LST Sailors
California State Chairman Joe Flynn reports that the California September LCI Reunion arrived in
Eureka this year with reinforcements; it was a joint reunion with the LST (Landing Ship Tank)
Association. Last year some of the LST sailors joined us aboard the USS LCI 1091 and had such a
good time that they brought the LST Association’s California reunion to Eureka. The combined
group of 50 had lunch aboard the 1091 and an evening banquet.
Guest speaker was Mike Martin, son of a LST sailor who served in the South Pacific. The power
point presentation featuring family and shipmates was both entertaining and informative.
The LST Association conducted a moving memorial service followed by the ritual folding of the
American Flag with symbolism of the 13 folds explained. At the conclusion of the service and the
reunion, LST President Bill Drews donated his Navy foul weather jacket to the Humboldt Bay Naval
Air/Sea Museum.
LCI and LST sailors had a lot to talk about. Of course they have one key thing in common; they
are both that rare breed of Navy men who purposely ran their ships aground—repeatedly.
28

Tiny Clarkson’s Ship’s Stores
Order Blank
ARTICLE DESCRIPTION PRICE NUMBER TOTAL
Gold Amphibious Lapel Pin 1 inch $5.00 _________ _____________
Red Amphibious Cloth Patch (shoulder) 4 inch $4.00 _________ _____________
LCI Association Cloth Patch 3 inch $3.50 _________ _____________
LCI Association Decal (inside window) 3 inch $0.75 _________ _____________
Red Amphibious Lapel Pin, small 7/8 inch $3.50 _________ _____________
Red Amphibious Cap Pin, large 1 inch $3.50 _________ _____________
Gold USN Fouled Anchor Cap Pin 1 inch $3.50 _________ _____________
Gold USN Eagle Cap Pin 1 inch $3.50 _________ _____________
Combat Vet Script Cap Pin 1 inch $3.50 _________ _____________
Combat Action Ribbon Full Size $3.00 _________ _____________
Iwo Jima – 50th Commemoration 1 inch $3.50 _________ _____________
MINIATURE MEDALS (cap or lapel) 1 inch
American Theater $3.50 _________ _____________
European Middle East Theater $3.50 _________ _____________
Asia Pacific Theater $3.50 _________ _____________
Purple Heart $3.50 _________ _____________
Philippine Liberation $3.50 _________ _____________
Good Conduct $3.50 _________ _____________
WWII Victory $3.50 _________ _____________
China Service $3.50 _________ _____________
Navy Commendation $3.50 _________ _____________
Bronze Star $3.50 _________ _____________
Silver Star $3.50 _________ _____________
MINIATURE METAL LAPEL RIBBONS
Purple Heart $3.50 _________ _____________
China Service $3.50 _________ _____________
Navy Commendation $3.50 _________ _____________
Philippine Liberation $3.50 _________ _____________
Philippine Independence $3.50 _________ _____________
Navy Occupation $3.50 _________ _____________
LCI Round Conn Ship Pin (side view) Hand fired, polished cloisonne $6.00 _________ _____________
Normandy Invasion Pin 50th Anniversary $4.00 _________ _____________
Normandy Invasion Beach Pins Gold Tone
Omaha $3.50 _________ _____________
Utah $3.50 _________ _____________
Juno $3.50 _________ _____________
Tote Bag Blue w/gold logo, 13”x15” $5.00 _________ _____________
LCI Association Cap, blue Conn: round [ ] square [ ] $15.00 _________ _____________
LCI Association Cap, Tan Summer Conn: round [ ] square [ } $15.00 _________ _____________
Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum Caps
Blue $15.00 _________ _____________
Gold $15.00 _________ _____________
LCI History Book, Volume I $40.00 _________ _____________
LCI History Book, Volume II $40.00 _________ _____________
Heath’s Excellent Black Cat Flotilla Book $10.00 _________ _____________
SUB-TOTAL Add 12% Shipping and Packaging _____________
TOTAL _____________
Make check payable to:
Gordon L. Smith
2313 N.E. 110th Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98684
E-mail: lohning@aol.com
29

OFFICERS
James E. Talbert, LCI 618
Chairman of the Board
12238 Woodland Trail
Council Bluffs IA 51503
712-366-1094
tab626@cox.net
John P. Cummer, LCI 502
President
302 Pinewood Cottage Lane,
Blythewood, SC 29016
803-714-9098
cummerj@bellsouth.net
John France, Affiliate
Vice President
11621 Copper Springs Trail
Oro Valley, AZ 85737
520-429-3792
lci540@aol.com
Hal Bleyhl, LCI(L) 812
Treasurer
10418 Campville St.
Boise, ID 83709
208-639-9180
hbleyhl@aol.com
Steven Dudrow
Secretary
418 Cervina Drive North
Venice, Fl 34285
941-416-0717
stevedudrow@comcast.net
30
Need Help? Answers? Here’s Your Officers and Board of Directors
Please feel free to contact any of the officers or directors listed below for whatever comments or questions
you may have. If the person you contact does not know the answer to your question, he will direct you
to one that can. We’re here to serve you!
Rev. David Cox, LCI 633
Chaplain
413 Tupilo Way NW
Birmingham, AL 35215
(205) 854-6229
Swabby1@bellsouth.net
Rev. Michael Gatton
Affiliate Chaplain
Louisville, KY
502-762-0613
GATTGUY@aol.com
mgatton@insightbb.com
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jim Aydelotte
(LCI 25)
3710 Goldfield Road #425
Apache Junction, AZ
85-219-6609
Jj10723@aol.com
Joe Flynn
Affiliate Member
627 Bradford Road
El Cajon, CA 92019
619-588-7078
joeglo@msn.com
Gordon Smith
LCI(L) 43
2313 Northeast 110th Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98684
360-256-5901
lohning@aol.net
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Connie R. Mulherin
LCI(G)561
1520 Sea Gull Drive
Titusville, FL 32796
321-268-1713
Cmulherin1@cfl.rr.com
Rod Scurlock
(LCI 565)
4445 Mustang Drive
Boise, Idaho 83709
208-362-4447
rhscurlock@aol.com
Bob McLain
LCI 436)
1829 Hemlock Road
Lancaster, PA 17603-4437
717-392-4558
maxeyusn@comcast.net
HISTORIANS
John France
European Theater of Operations
11621 Copper Springs Trail
Oro Valley, AZ 85737
(520)429-3792
Lci540@aol.com
Dennis Blocker
Pacific Theater of Operations
2847 Cedar Plain
San Antonio, TX 78245
(210)673-8854
lci449@hotmail.com
OFFICES AND SUPPORT SERVICES ARE PROVIDED BY NEHEMIAH COMMUNICATIONS, INC
101 Rice Bent Way, # 6, Columbia, SC 29229
803-865-5665
Please send information or questions about membership, dues payment, address,
e-mail or telephone changes to them.
Please send information concerning the death of an LCI shipmate to Jim Talbert
Please send any communications concerning Elsie Item to John Cummer

USS LCI NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
If you served aboard an LCI, you are eligible to join our Association as a regular member.
If you are a relative of someone who served aboard an LCI or if you just have a desire to have a part in remembering
those who so served, you are invited to join as an Affiliate.
DUES ARE $25.00 PER YEAR, June 1 through May 31.
Please complete this form and mail it to the address indicated below with your first year’s dues.
I. For Application as a Regular Member:
Name______________________________________________________________________________________________________
LCI Served On _______________________ Rank/Rate___________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
City________________________________________________ State_________________ Zip Code________________________
Phone (__________) ____________________________ E-Mail address_______________________________________________
Date of Birth____________________
Occupation or Former Occupation_______________________________ Wife’s name___________________________________
Help, please! As a precaution we’d like to have an alternate name and address that we might contact in case we can’t reach you:
Alternate Name_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
City________________________________________________ State_________________ Zip Code________________________
Phone (__________) ____________________________ E-Mail address_______________________________________________
II. For Application as an Affiliate:
Name______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
City________________________________________________ State_________________ Zip Code________________________
Phone (__________) ____________________________ E-Mail address_______________________________________________
Date of Birth____________________
Occupation ____________________________________ Spouse’s name ______________________________________________
My _________________________ (father, grandfather, uncle, etc.) whose name is/was _________________________________
served on LCI Number______________________ (If unknown or if you did not have a relative who served on an LCI, leave blank)
My Occupation _______________________________ Spouse’s name _______________________________________________
Help, please! As a precaution we’d like to have an alternate name and address that we might contact in case we can’t reach you:
Alternate Name_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
City________________________________________________ State_________________ Zip Code________________________
Phone (__________) ____________________________ E-Mail address_______________________________________________
Privacy notice: Information solicited in this application for membership will be used only as needed for official business within the
Association. No information will be released outside the Association or its agents without the consent of the member(s) concerned
Make Check payable to: USS LCI NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Send Application and Check to:
USS LCI National Association
c/o Nehemiah Communications, Inc.
101 Rice Bent Way, #6
Columbia, SC 29229
31

NON-PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
USS LCI NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
c/o Nehemiah Communications, Inc.
101 Rice Bent Way, #6
Columbia, SC 29229
COLUMBIA, SC
PERMIT NO. 920
English modeler includes an LCI
in detailed layout of Southampton
docks preparing for “Overlord”,
the Normandy Invasion.
See page 4.