Builder: Brown Shipbuilding Company, Orange, Texas
Commissioned: 31 October 1942
Decommissioned: 7 May 1946
Disposition: Transferred to the Maritime Commission on 2 February 1948 for disposal.
Length: 158' 6" oa
Beam: 23' 3"
Draft: 2' 8" (forward), 5' 3" (aft -- beaching condition)
Displacement: 216 tons (light); 234 tons (beaching condition); 389 tons (full load)
Propulsion: 8 x GM diesels; twin shafts (4 diesels per shaft); 1,600 hp; twin variable-pitch propellers
Range: 4,000 @ 12 knots
Top Speed: 15.5 knots
Complement: 3 officers, 21 enlisted
Troops: 188
Cargo capacity: 75 tons
Initial armament: 4 x 20mm (single-mount): 1 forward, 1 amidships, 2 aft; 2 x .50 caliber; 2" plastic splinter armor on gun shields, conning tower, and pilot house.
Commanding Officers
LT Samuel W. Allison
LTJG James Jones, USCGR
History: Flotilla 4 / 10 / 35, Group 103, Division 206
The Coast Guard-manned USS LCI(L)-326 was commissioned on 31 October 1942 and was assigned to Coast Guard-manned LCI(L)-Flotilla 4. After proceeding across the Atlantic to Bizerte, North Africa from Norfolk, where she had arrived after shakedown exercises, she made preparations for the invasion of Sicily on July 9, 1943. Two months later she landed troops at Salerno.
Proceeding to England as part of the same flotilla, now renamed Flotilla 10, late in October 1943 she arrived at Plymouth on November 3, 1943, and was engaged from then until D-day in amphibious training on the beaches of Southern England, for the invasion of Normandy. On June 6, 1944, she landed troops at Utah Beach and from then until her departure from Falmouth on October 5, 1944, was engaged in transporting troops, acting as a cross channel guide and in other operational and logistical duties.
Arriving at Charleston, South Carolina on October 24, 1944, she proceeded to Jacksonville, Florida, where she was drydocked and underwent repairs and overhaul until December 12, 1944, when she returned to Charleston and then to Little Creek, Virginia and Solomons Island, Maryland, where new officers and crew were given amphibious training. She departed Norfolk December 26, 1944, for San Diego, California, arriving via Key West and the Canal Zone on January 22, 1945, for amphibious training at the Naval Repair Base until April 3, 1945.
She departed San Diego on April 3, 1945, for Okinawa, via Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Guam and Ulithi, arriving on May 29, 1945. Here she was detached for duty at Kerama Rhetto for harbor entrance control and making smoke, as well as carrying guard mail, light freight and staff officers. On July 16, 1945, she proceeded to Kenmu Wan returning to Kerama Rhetto next day to execute Typhoon Plan Xray, no LCIs suffering any damage anchored under the lee of Amuro Shine. Proceeding to Buckner Bay on July 22, 1945, she carried out screening duties by making smoke, again executing typhoon plan Xray on the 31st. On August 11, 1945, she went to Chimu Wan on similar duties. When the rest of Group 103, Flotilla 35, left for Japan on September 8, 1945, the LCI(L)-326 was awaiting drydocking at Okinawa for screw replacement and was replaced in the Japan mission by LCI(M)-810.
She did not reach Sasebo until November 1, 1945, via Nagasaki and on the 12th was assigned to C.T.G. 55.4 at Nagoya. She arrived there on the 15th and left on November 27, 1945 for home. She returned to New Orleans on March 15, 1946, via Saipan, Pearl Harbor, San Diego and the Canal Zone. Here she was decommissioned on May 7, 1946.
The LCI(L)-326 earned four battle stars for her service in World War II. All LCI(L)s of Flotilla 10 were retroactively awarded the Coast Guard Unit Commendation for their service in the invasion of Normandy.
Sources
LCI(L) file, Coast Guard Historian's Office.
United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard At War. V. Transports and Escorts. Vol. 2. Washington: Public Information Division, Historical Section, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, May 1, 1949, pp. 117-130.