LCI(L)-1091 was laid down at
Defoe Shipbuilding Company in
Bay City, Michigan, and commissioned on 21 September 1944.
LCI-1091 arrived in the Pacific at the end of the battle for Iwo Jima, fought at Okinawa in 1945 and was used as a minesweeper to clean up around Japan after the war. She was assigned to the
Pacific Theatre and participated in the
assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto from 28 April to 30 June 1945. She received two battle stars for her WW II duty. The landing craft performed
minesweeping duties in the
Kōchi-
Shikoku area from 8 September to 16 September, and in the
Nagoya area from 28 September to 25 October.
LCI(L)-1091 was on
occupation duty from 2 September to 16 December 1945. In 1946 she participated in the
Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests at
Bikini Atoll as a testing support ship. On 28 February 1949, she was, like all other LCIs remaining, reclassified as
LSIL-1091. The ship remained active during the
Korean War. In 1951 she was converted to a
Laboratory Ship. During her time in Korea,
LSIL-1091 was assigned as an Epidemiological Control Ship for
Fleet Epidemic Disease Control Unit No. 1, a part of the U.S. effort to combat
malaria in
Korea. From October to September 1951,
LSIL-1091 was at
Koje-do performing malaria testing among residents and refugees. In this role, the ship became tied to unproven
allegations of biological warfare in the Korean War by the United States and allies. She was used in a covert missions behind enemy lines investigating disease outbreak of alleged bubonic plague in North Korea. Brigadier General Crawford Sams' "medical intelligence" mission to Wonsan, North Korea in March 1951 had been first launched from the
LSIL-1091. After Korea the
LSIL-1091 became one of the navy's smallest aircraft carriers when she was used to launch anti-aircraft target drones. In 1955 she was decommissioned at
Astoria, Oregon.
LCI(L)-1091 received two
battle stars for World War II action and received four battle stars for Korean War as
LSIL-1091. == Post-service and museum ==