Builder: Brown Shipbuilding Corporation, Orange, Texas
Commissioned: 3 February 1943
Decommissioned: 7 March 1946
Disposition: Transferred to the Maritime Commission on 3 November 1947 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 Edison M. Fabian, USCGR
LTJG Harold J. Levin, USCGR
History: Flotilla 4 / 10 / 35, Group 104, Division 207
The Coast Guard-manned USS LCI(L)-89 was built at the Brown Shipbuilding Company Yard in Orange, Texas, and was placed in commission on 3 February 1943 under the command of LT Edison M. Fabian, USCGR. After outfitting at Houston, Texas, through April 1943 she proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia for further outfitting and provisioning before departing for North Africa as flagship of LCI(L) Flotilla Four's Group 29.
She arrived at Tunisia, North Africa in June 1943, in time to take part in the final stages of the North African campaign. On 9 July 1943, she took part in the assault on Sicily and on 9 September 1943, she participated in the landings at Salerno. Proceeding to England still as flagship of LCI(L) Group 29 (still part of her original Flotilla although it had by this point been redesignated as LCI(L) Flotilla 10) in November 1943, she underwent maneuvers off Southern England and on 5 June 1944, she departed England to participate in the invasion of Normandy.
From June 7th to July 20th, 1944, she directed traffic of the coast of Normandy. Beginning on July 21st, along with the LCI(L)-490, she towed Army "J" craft into Cherbourg Harbor, becoming the first "non-minesweeping" vessel to enter the harbor after its liberation by the Allies. From July 21st to August 15th, 1944, she was engaged in ferrying troops from Weymouth, England to the Normandy coast. Escort duty of landing craft from England to France continued through 16 September 1945.
On 5 October 1945, she departed Falmouth, England for Charleston, South Carolina, where from October 27th until December 21st, 1944, she underwent overhaul and crew training. Here she was redesignated as flagship of LCI(L) Group 104, Flotilla 35 (Flotilla 35 was the redesignated Flotilla 10). On that date she proceeded to Little Creek, Virginia, for amphibious training here and at Solomons Island until 1 January 1945. On January 1st, she arrived at Hampton Roads and on January 2nd was underway for San Diego, California, via Key West and the Canal Zone. Arriving there on February 1st, she underwent amphibious training and ship repair work at the Naval Repair Base until 20 April 1945, when she departed for Pearl Harbor.
From there on April 29th she departed for Eniwetok and thence on May 26th to Guam. She proceeded to Saipan on May 30th and from June 1st to July 2nd, 1945, she carried out submarine escort duties in the vicinity of Saipan. On that date she proceeded to Eniwetok for assignment to inter-island ferry duty. She continued on this duty until 24 November 1945.
She departed Eniwetok on November 24th for San Pedro, California, arriving there via Pearl Harbor and San Diego on December 19th, 1945. Here on 7 March 1946, she was decommissioned.
The LCI(L)-89 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.