Landing Craft, Infantry

USS LCI-326 during training for D-Day
Class overview
Builders:	Albina Engine Works Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard Brown Shipbuilding Commercial Iron Works Consolidated Steel Corporation Defoe Shipbuilding Company Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company George Lawley & Sons New Jersey Shipbuilding New York Shipbuilding
Operators:	United States Navy  Royal Navy  Royal Canadian Navy  Soviet Navy  Republic of China Navy
In commission:	1943–1946
Completed:	923
Preserved:	LCI(L)-713 and LCI(L)-1091
General characteristics - LCI(L)
Type:	Landing craft
Displacement:	234 long tons (238 t) standard 389 long tons (395 t) full
Length:	158 ft 6 in (48.31 m)
Beam:	23 ft 3 in (7.09 m)
Draft:	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) aft
Propulsion:	2 banks Detroit diesel 6051 quad-71, 2 shafts (4 engines per shaft), 1,600 bhp (1,193 kW)
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range:	4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h)
Troops:	180, later 210
Complement:	3 officers and 21 enlisted men
Armament:	4 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon (one forward, one amidships, two aft)
Armor:	Splinter protection for guns, pilot house

The Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) were several classes of seagoing amphibious assault ships of the Second World War used to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches. They were developed in response to a British request for a vessel capable of carrying and landing substantially more troops than their smaller Landing Craft Assault (LCA). The result was a small steel ship that could land 200 troops, traveling from rear bases on its own bottom at a speed of up to 15 knots.

Some 923 were built starting in 1943, serving in both the Pacific and European theaters, including a number that were converted into heavily armed beach assault support ships. Commonly called "Elsie Items," the LCI(L) supplemented the small LCAs/LCVPs as a way to get many troops ashore before a dock could be captured or built. As such, they were the largest dedicated beachable infantry landing craft (the larger Landing Ship Infantry (LSI) was a transporter for troops and small craft such as the British LCA) in the allied inventory.

The LCI(L) was designed to carry 200 troops at up to 15 knots and be as capable at landing as the LCA. Since a steel hull would be needed and steel was already earmarked for building destroyers at home the U.S was approached. There the plans were developed into the LCI(L) - Landing Craft Infantry (Large). The original British design was envisioned as being a "one time use" vessel which would simply ferry the troops across the English Channel, and were considered an expendable vessel. As such, no troop sleeping accommodations were placed in the original design. The troops were provided benches (similar to a ferry) upon which to sit while they were transported across the channel. This was changed shortly after initial use of these ships, when it was discovered that many missions would require overnight accommodations. The US was able to come up with an easily built and mass-produced design by using non-traditional shipbuilding facilities and equipment. The US established LCI building yards at ten different locations.

There were 3 major types of LCI(L) which differed mostly by the location of the ramps and by the shape of the conning tower. All of these ships had similar hulls. The hull of all LCI(L) were 158 ft (48 m) long with a 23-foot beam, making them relatively long and narrow.