World War II Amphibious Landing Craft Listed in National Register of Historic Places

The vessel was used mainly in the Southwest Pacific and was part of task force that landed elements of the Oregon National Guard during an assault on Zamboanga City in the Philippines.

The USS LCI-713 amphibiousforces.org/

(ASTORIA, Ore.) - The National Park Service has informed Oregon's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) that a World War II landing craft now preserved as the Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum Ship in Astoria has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Commissioned in 1944 as the USS LCI-713, the vessel is the last survivor in a class of more than 3,000 ships built during the war to land troops and material directly onto beaches.

The vessel was used mainly in the Southwest Pacific and was part of task force that landed elements of the Oregon National Guard during an assault on Zamboanga City in the Philippines.

The governor-appointed State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the nomination to the National Park Service, which maintains the Register under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

The listing meets the criteria for both a property associated with "events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history," and one that "embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction."

The vessel, which was decommissioned in October 1946, exemplifies war-time ship-building techniques that emphasize simple, rugged and cost-effective construction.

More information about the National Register of Historic Places is posted online at www.oregonheritage.org (click on "National Register" under "menu.")