elsie item issue 57 - USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association

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2007 Calendar Now Available!The front cover picture of the2007 LCI calendar shows LCIsmoving past the <strong>USS</strong>Pensylvania, laying smoke toprotect ships making the landingon the southern beaches inLeyte Gulf. Other illustrationshave to do with the Guam landing,the shellback initiation onthe LCI(L) 759, the LCI(L) 713 ather museum moorage in Astoria,the Hollandia landing, the Biaklanding, the Omaha Beach landing,th Balikpapan landing, bumboatsin the Philippines, theMorotai landing, the Okinawalanding, the LCI(L) 1091 mooredin Eureka, California, the OrmocBay landing, and rocket shipsgoing in to make a rocketassault on the beach atOkinawa. Dates of all WWII landings,major naval sea battles, and ship losses are printed on the calendar dates on which they occurred. One page isused to discuss the wha and whys of LCIs and the histories of the 1091 and the 713. Another page is a condensedaccount of the 7th Amphibious Force LCIs and their 56 landings in the Pacific. Essentially, the calendar is anamphibious landing history of WWII. The calendars sell for $6.00 each, which includes tax, shipping and handling.(Also, while they last, sets of the calendars for 2002, 03, 04, 05, 06 and07 will be available for $25.00.)2007 LCI CALENDAR ORDER FORMSend orders to :J. E. McCarthy249 Idlewilld LaneOceanside, CA 92054-5418Telephone: (760) 439-5418Calendars are $6.00 each (including tax, mailing and handling)Package of 2002, 03, 04, 05, 06 and 07 calendars available at $25.00.Amount Enclosed:No.__________________No. of packages_______$____________________SHIP TO:Name________________________________________________________________LCI #________________Address____________________________________________________________________________________City__________________________________________________ State___________ ZIP________________Telephone_____________________________________ E-mail_______________________________________26
Another Stern Winch Story!ByRalph E. Gallant,LCI (G) 346The Navy obviously meant the stern winch on anLCI to be used for pulling the ship off the beachafter a landing, but LCIers found other ways tomake use of that powerful machine and some ofthem sound like going hunting for rabbits with anelephant gun! They are still wondrously amusingand evocative of some of the weird ways we foundto entertain ourselves!Inspired by John Cox's account of how they usedthe stern winch on LCI 551 to turn an ice creamfreezer, Ralph Gallant, now a resident of OregonCity,Oregon, sent in this account of another ingenioususe for that powerful engine.Maybe we ought to start a contest for the wildeststory about non-official uses made of the sternwinch!The stern winch—a powered washing machine!Like John W. Cox of LCI 551 who told how theyused their stern winch to make ice cream, wemade use of ours in getting our clothes properlywashed!As we had no washing machine aboard at thistime, all our washings were done in a bucket andthe best spot for doing so was on the fantail.Maybe that's why some of our crew memberswere called “Bucket Butt Sailors.”One day, sitting on a bucket with John E. Birkes,MoMM3C, griping about no washing machine,the idea struck us: There sits a perfectly goodwinch with the winch heads turning slowly.(Now, we can't use the name we really calledthose winch heads in polite company, but manyof you will probably remember what that was).We had it in that slow turn for normal warm upand for checking operation of the equipment.There it was - turning and doing nothing. Now,you remember these winch heads were used towinch our vessel in to the pier by throwing a turnor two around them with the mooring line. andthe more turns you laid on, the more pull youhad.Well, as a gunboat, we had several empty 40mmcans with lock tops. We thought: if we drill fourholes in the 40mm can cover and four in thesame position on the winch head and attach theammo can to the winch head with a rubber gasketbetween the two, all we have to do is stopthe winch with the can in the upright position,pour in water, soap and the dirty clothes, lock theammo can top back on, engage the winch todrive the heads at a slow turn and there you haveit! After several minutes, with the dirty clothesflopping back and forth in the can, all we had todo was to remove the clothes, rinse them, and laythem out to dry or, better still, hang them out inthe engine room for drying.It sure saved all that arm motion using at toiletplunger, which was our old method! Also, it gaveus a lot more time to talk about the importantthings in life like girls, home, girls, etc.Well, the word about our stern winch poweredwashing machine spread throughout the ship,but we insisted that the Engineering Departmenthave first use. We had one Lieutenant, JuniorGrade, John Paul Lockard and 19 white hats inthe Engineering Department.But then one day we had an even better idea!We had been sent from Okinawa to Leyte,Philippines. We were tied up alongside a pier,which was kind of unusual for us but it was onlyfor a short stay. Our skipper was informed that,due to the need for other ships to use the pier, wecould only spend the night alongside the pier andwould have to be gone early the next morning.27
Page 1 and 2: OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THEUSS LANDI
Page 3 and 4: A LENGTHY—AND IMPORTANT“WORD”
Page 5 and 6: In this issue you will find a ballo
Page 7 and 8: POLL OF MEMBERS ON DUES INCREASE EF
Page 9 and 10: LCI 632Donald R. CarneyLCI 687Sam J
Page 11 and 12: The Zudells—One Big, Happy LCI Fa
Page 13 and 14: Mark your calendar! Get your Hotel
Page 15 and 16: Baseball at Anzio!Remember Anzio? T
Page 17 and 18: Indiana LCIers Hold First ReunionMi
Page 19 and 20: An Appeal to our Life MembersGentle
Page 21 and 22: “Might you have any knowledge of
Page 23 and 24: area of firing. As the LCI's passed
Page 25: Survey Group of the North China For
Page 29 and 30: A Great Tribute to the Flagfrom a G
Page 31 and 32: Your Officers and Board of Director

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