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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LCI(L)-87

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Golf - Romeo
NDGR

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - (Coast Guard Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (4) - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Individual Awards

Capt. M.E. Imlay USCG (LCI Flotilla 4)
Silver Star (Normandy), Legion of Merit (Sicily and Salerno)

USS LCI(L)-87 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II

LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large):

Laid down, 16 October 1942, at Brown Ship Building Corp. Orange, TX.

Launched, 20 December 1942

Commissioned USS LCI(L)-87, 2 February 1943, LT. John C. Whitbeck, USCG in command

During World War II USS LCI(L)-87 was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater

USS LCI(L)-87 was designated as LCI Flotilla Four (flagship) and reassigned to LCI Flotilla Ten for Normandy, Capt. M. E. Imlay, USCG and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaigns
North African occupation: Tunisian operation, 1 June to 9 July 1943	Salerno landings, 9 to 21 September 1943 November 1943 to June 1944 training in England in preparation for the Invasion of Normandy
Sicilian occupation, 9 to 15 July 1943	Invasion of Normandy-Omaha Beach, 6 to 25 June 1944

USS LCI(L)-87 was assigned to directing landing craft traffic and escorting landing craft from England to the northern coast of France from July through September 1944

USS LCI(L)-87 departed Falmouth England 5 October 1944, for Charleston, S.C.

Assigned to LCI Flotilla 30 while at Charleston during overhaul and repair

Departed Charleston, 14 December 1944 for Little Creek, VA. for amphibious training at Solomon Island, MD. until 18 December 1944

Departed Norfolk, 27 December 1944, for San Diego via Key West and Canal Zone

Arrived at San Diego, 27 January 1945 - attached to Ship Training Group, Naval Repair Base, San Diego.

USS LCI(L)-87 was reassigned to the Asiatic Pacific Theater:
LCI Flotilla Thirty-Five (flagship) CDR. H. J. Huensch USCG;
LCI Group One Hundred Three, LCDR. B. A Walliser USCGR;
LCI Division Two Hundred Five

Departed San Diego for Peal Harbor, T.H. 20 April 1945, arriving Pearl Harbor, 1 May 1945

Departing Pearl Harbor, 18 May 1945, for Eniwetok

Arrived Eniwetok, 18 May 1945

Departed for Guam, 22 May 1945 - for off shore patrol and B-29 crew ditching practice

Returned, 1 August 1945 at Eniwetok - served as inter-island ferry

Departed Eniwetok, 24 November 1945, for San Pedro, CA. via Pearl Harbor and San Diego

Arrived San Pedro, 6 February 1946

Decommissioned, 20 March 1946, at San Pedro, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

USS LCI(L)-87 earned four battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, transferred to the Maritime Commission, 2 February 1948, for disposal

Specifications:
Displacement 236 t.(light), 264 t.(landing), 419 t.(loaded)
Length 158' 5½"
Beam 23' 3"

Draft

Light, 3'1½" mean

Landing, 2' 8" forward, 4' 10" aft

Loaded, 5' 4" forward, 5' 11" aft

Speed

16 kts (max.)

14 kts maximum continuous

Complement

4 officers

24 enlisted

Troop Capacity

6 officers

182 enlisted

Cargo Capacity 75 tons

Armor 2" plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower and pilot house

Endurance 4,000 miles at 12 kts, loaded, 500 miles at 15 knots; and 110 tons of fuel

Armament

five single 20mm guns, one bow mounted, one each port and starboard forward of wheelhouse, one each port and starboard aft of wheelhouse

on some LCIs two .50 cal machine guns were added

Fuel Capacity

Diesel 860 Bbls

lube oil 200 gal

Propulsion

two sets of 4 General Motors 6051 series 71 Diesel engines, 4 per shaft

single General Motors Main reduction gears

two Diesel-drive 30Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

twin variable pitch propellers, 2,320shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
	68k	USS LCI(L)-87 underway, date and location unknown US Coast Guard photo from the collections of the US Coast Guard Historian's Office	Mike Green
	215k	USS LCI(L)-87 and USS LCI(L)-488 beached, probably at Slapton Sands, England, during the spring of 1944 while preparing for the Invasion of Normandy. US Coast Guard photo from the collections of the US Coast Guard Historian's Office	Mike Green
	75k	From right to left:USS LCI(L)-87, USS LCI(L)-85 and USS LCI(L)-319 nested at anchor, prior to the Normandy Invasion, date and location unknown. US Coast Guard	Robert Morrissey
	105k	USS LCI(L)-87 discharging troops, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Capt Jerry Mason USN
	87k	Coast Guard LCI Flotilla 4, including USS LCI(L)-87 and USS LCI(L)-84 tied up in the background along with British landing craft, preparing to sail the English Channel and invade Nazi-occupied France. These landing craft landed US troops on Omaha Beach. USCG photo, date unknown.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
	256k	USS LCI(L)-87, USS LCI(L)-84 and USS LCI(L)-497 tied up in the background along with Royal Navy landing craft, (LCA)s preparing to sail the English Channel and invade Nazi-occupied France. These landing craft landed US troops on Omaha Beach. USCG photo, date unknown. A US National Archives photo from the USS National LCI Association newsletter "The Elsie Item" April 2009 issue, Courtesy Dennis Blocker.	Ardie Hunt
1015008415	301k	USS LCI(L)-84, USS LCI(L)-87 and USS LCI(L)-497 tied up in the background along with Royal Navy landing craft, (LCA)s preparing to sail the English Channel and invade Nazi-occupied France. These landing craft landed US troops on Omaha Beach. An Imperial War Museum, London, photo in the collections of the US National Archives	David Upton
	76k	USS LCI(L)-87 and USS LCI(L)-84 in an English port, date unknown.	Bill Brinkley
1015009608	304k	Army personnel delivering supplies to LCI(L)'s waiting for D-Day and start of the Normandy invasion in an English port. Among the LCI(L)'s are USS LCI(L)-96, USS LCI(L)-87 and in the far distance USS LCI(L)-493 US National Archives National Archives Identifier 12003998 (photo # 80-G-251871).	David Upton
	109k	USS LCI(L)-87 at anchor in a British port prior to the Invasion of Normandy, June 1944. Photo with permission from Mr. Denver Collins, Editor, of the Timeless Media Group DVD, "D-Day Code Name Overlord"	Robert G. Morrissey
	309k	USS LCI(L)-87 gun mount # 2-20mm gun crew at General Quarters, 6 June 1944. Photo No. 14 (Imlay collection) from Miles Imlay files. A US Coast Guard photo from the collections of the US Coast Guard Historian's Office	Mike Green
	84k	USS LCI(L)-87 underway, date and location unknown. US Coast Guard Public Relations release Hail the Heroes of Three European Beach Invasions The anchor has hit the bottom in an American harbor as a Coast Guard-manned LCI(L) is home from three invasions in the European war theater. Greetings are gaily exchanged between the veterans lining the rail of the battle-scarred craft, and the two SPARS riding out on a Coast Guard patrol boat. The Flotilla of Coast Guard-manned LCI's hit the beaches of Sicily, Italy and Normandy and made an unprecedented round trip Atlantic voyage, for their size and type." US Coast Guard photo	Sean Connor in honor of his grandfather Frederick V. Ahern USS LCI(L)-65
	91k	Alex Bosmony on the beach at Guam in May 1945 with USS LCI(L)-87, USS LCI(L)-321 and an unidentified LCI in the background. Photo is from the USS LCI National Association's newsletter "The Elsie Item", March 2002, photo courtesy of Alex Bosmony USS LCI(L)-87.	Ardie Hunt
	101k	USS LCI(L)-87 crew photo, somewhere in the Pacific, May 1945. Photo from the USS LCI National Association's newsletter "The Elsie Item", March 2002, photo courtesy of Alex Bosmony USS LCI(L)-87.	Ardie Hunt

The history for USS LCI(L)-87 is from "The Coast Guard At War, Transports and Escorts, Volume II"

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Whitbeck John C. USCG	2 February 1943 - 30 November 1944
02	LT. Smith, Luther E. USCGR	30 November 1944 - 13 January 1945
03	LTjg. Vernon, Albert B. USCGR	13 January 1945 - 1945
04	LTjg. Treinen, R. F. USCGR	1945 - 20 September 1945
05	LTjg. Wadleigh, Fred L. USCGR	20 September 1945 - 20 March 1946

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 4 March 2022