elsie item issue 69 - USS Landing Craft Infantry

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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.