Naval History and Heritage Command
The Navy Department Library
U.S. Naval Abbreviations
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
--L--
Note: Where the same abbreviation has more than one meaning, the several meanings have been arranged alphabetically. Abbreviations preceded by an asterisk (*), other than Navy numbers, may never be used singly; those preceded by the symbol for number (#) are the Bureau of Personnel Condensation Code for use in dispatch orders to personnel.
L -- First letter in the Navy aircraft designation, indicating a glider
L -- Bell Aircraft Corporation (manufacturer's symbol)
L -- Columbia Aircraft Corporation (manufacturer's symbol)
L -- First letter of plane model designation signifying glider
L -- Landplane
L -- Langley Aviation Corporation (manufacturer's symbol)
L -- legal Division (USCG)
L -- Lewisite
L -- Equipped with search light (suffix to plane designation)
L -- Single Bank Vertical (aircraft engine)
L -- Suffix to USNR line officer classification symbol denoting Limited General Service; As, (A)L is Limited General Service, Aviation Non-flying
LA -- Lighter than Air
LA -- Louisiana
Lab -- Laboratory
LAC -- Liberated Areas Committee
*LAIS -- Liaison
*LAN -- Landing
LANCRA -- Landing Craft
*LANCRAB -- Landing Craft and Bases
LanCraBNAW -- Northwest African Waters
LanForASCU -- Landing Force Air Support Control Unit
LANT -- Atlantic
LantFlt -- Atlantic Fleet
LantResFlt -- Atlantic Reserve Fleet
LAT -- Latitude
LAW -- Local Air Warning
LB -- Landing Barge(s)
L/B -- Light Bomber
LB -- Photographic Laboratory Specialist(s)
LB -- Pound
LBD -- Twin-engine McDonnell, Navy special plane
LBE -- Landing Barge, Emergency Repair
LBE -- Landing Barge, Oiler
LBE -- Navy transport glider (VLR) known as "Glomb"; manufactured by Gould
LBK -- Landing Barge, Kitchen
LBP-1 -- Twin-engine Piper, Navy glider
LBS -- Landing Barge, Support
LBT -- Chemical Laboratory Technician
LBT -- Clinical Laboratory Technology
LBT -- Navy transport glider (VLR), known as "Glomb"; manufactured by Taylorcraft
LBV -- Landing Barge, Vehicle
LC or L/C -- Landing Craft
LC -- Lines of Communications (Army)
LCA -- Landing Craft, Assault
LCC -- Landing Craft, Control
LCC (1) -- Landing Craft, Control (Mark I)
LCC (2) -- Landing Craft, Control (Mark II)
LCC -- London Communications Committee
LCDR -- Lieutenant Commander
LCE -- Landing Craft, Emergency Repair
LCEOP -- Landing Craft, Engine Overhaul Parties
LCF -- Landing Craft, Flak
LC(FF) -- Landing Craft, Flotilla Flagship
LCFlotsPac -- Landing Craft, Flotilla, Pacific Fleet
LCG(L) -- Landing Craft, Gun, (Large)
LCGM -- Landing Craft, Gunboat
LCGP -- Landing Craft, Group
LCI -- Landing Craft, Infantry
LCIDiv -- LCI Division
LCIFlot -- LCI Flotilla
LCI(G) -- Landing Craft, Infantry Gunboat
LCIGrp -- LCI Group
LCI(L) -- Landing Craft, Infantry, Large
LCILFlot -- LCI(L) Flotilla
LCI(M) -- Landing Craft, Infantry (Mortar Ship)
LCI(R) -- Landing Craft, Infantry (Rocket Ship)
LCM -- Landing Craft, Mechanized
LCM(1) -- Landing Craft, Mechanized, Mark I
LCM(2) -- Landing Craft, Mechanized, Mark II
LCM(3) -- Landing Craft, Mechanized, Mark III
LCM(6) -- Landing Craft, Mechanized, Mark VI
LCMSO -- Landing Craft Material Supply Officer
LCN -- Landing Craft, Navigation
LCNT -- Link Celestial Navigation Trainer
LCOCU -- Landing Craft, Obstruction Clearance Unit
LCP -- Landing Craft, Personnel
LCP(L) -- Landing Craft, Personnel (Large)
LCP(M) -- Landing Craft, Personnel (Medium)
LCP(N) -- Landing Craft, Personnel (Nested)
LCP(P) -- Landing Craft, Personnel (Plastic)
LCP(R) -- Landing Craft, Personnel (Ramp)
LCP(Sy) -- Landing Craft, Personnel(Survey)
LCR(L) -- Landing Craft, Rubber (Large)
LCR(R) -- Landing Craft, Rubber (Rocket)
LCR(S) -- Landing Craft, Rubber (Small)
LCRU -- Landing Craft, Recovery Unit
LCS(L)(3) -- Landing Craft, Support (Large) (Mark III)
LCS(M) -- Landing Craft, Support (Medium)
LCS(R) -- Landing Craft, Support (Rocket)
LCS(S) -- Landing Craft, Support (Small)
LCS(S)(1) -- Landing Craft, Support (Small) (Mark I)
LCS(S)(2) -- Landing Craft, Support (Small) (Mark II)
LCT -- Landing Craft, Tank
LCT(5) -- Landing Craft, Tank (Mark V)
LCT(6) -- Landing Craft, Tank (Mark VI)
LCT(A) -- Landing Craft, Tank (Armored)
LCV -- Landing Craft, Vehicle
LCVP -- Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel
LD -- Line of Departure (Army)
LD -- Line of Duty (Army)
LDD -- Letter of Determination of Dependency
LDF -- Local Defense Forces
LE -- Low Explosive (Army)
LEA/BZ -- Vessel leased to Brazil
LEA/CH -- Vessel leased to China
LEA/EC -- Vessel leased to Ecuador
LEA/FR -- Vessel leased to France
LEA/GR -- Vessel leased to Greece
LEA/MX -- Vessel leased to Mexico
LEA/NE -- Vessel leased to Netherlands
LEA/NO -- Vessel leased to Norway
LEA/PA -- Vessel leased to Panama
LEA/PE -- Vessel leased to Peru
LEA/PG -- Vessel leased to Paraguay
LEA/RU -- Vessel leased to Russia
LEA/UK -- Vessel leased to United Kingdom
LEA/UR -- Vessel leased to Uruguay
LEAVE RATS -- Leave Rations
LF -- Fighter aircraft fitted with engine rated for low altitude performance
LF -- Low Frequency
LFM -- Landing Force Manual
LG -- Landing Ground
Lg Comb -- Large Combatant
"Liberator" -- See PB4Y-1, 1P-12RY-1-2-3
Lifesta -- Lifeboat Station (USCG)
LINE -- Line Officer, USN
"Lion" -- A large advanced base unit consisting of all the personnel and material necessary for the establishment of a major, all-purpose naval base. It is made up of a large number of functional components which enables the base to perform voyage repairs and repair minor battle damage to a major portion of a fleet.
LLI -- Latitude and Longitude Indicator
LLLO -- Lend-Lease Liaison Office
LM -- Land Mine
LM -- Legion of Merit
LMG -- Light Machine Gun (Army)
LNC -- Local Naval Commander
LNE-# -- Navy training glider (VLN), manufactured by Gould
LNS-# -- Navy training glider (VLN), manufactured by Schwiezer
LNT-# -- Navy training glider (VLN), manufactured by Taylorcraft
LO -- Liaison Office(r)
*LO -- Local
LOAN/A -- Vessels loaned to Army
LOAN/C -- Vessels loaned to Coast Guard
LOAN/M -- Vessels loaned to miscellaneous activities (U.S. Maritime Academy, etc.)
LOAN/S -- Vessels loaned to States
LOAN/W -- Vessels loaned to War Shipping Administration
LOCAL -- Permanent local fleet
LODC -- Local Defense District Craft
"Lodestar" -- See R50-#
LODIG -- Loading
LODOR -- Loaded, Waiting Orders or Assignment
LofC -- Lines of Communications
LONG -- Longevity
LONG -- Longitude
LOP -- Local Operational Plot
LOPU -- Logistics Organization Planning Unit
LORAN -- Long-Range Radio Aid to Navigation
LOST/A -- Vessels lost by accident, collision or similar methods
LOST/E -- Vessels lost through enemy action
LOST/P -- Vessels lost due to weather, perils of the sea or similar reasons
LOTON -- Long tons discharged or loaded
LOTS -- LORAN Operational Training School (Pearl Harbor)
LOU -- Louisiana
Love -- "L" in the phonetic alphabet
LP -- Landplane
LP -- Loss pay/loss of pay
LP -- Low Pressure
LPC -- Low Pressure Chamber Technician
LR -- Long Range Plane(s)
LRNA -- Laws Relating to the Navy Annotated
LRW-# -- Navy transport glider (VLR), manufactured by WACO
LSB -- Landing Ship, Bombardment
LSD -- Landing Ship, Dock
LSH(L) -- Landing Ship, Headquarters (Large)
LSH(S) -- Landing Ship, Headquarters (Small)
LSM -- Landing Ship, Medium
LSM(R) -- Landing Ship, Medium (Rocket)
LSMSO -- Landing Ship Material Supply Officer
LSO -- Landing Signal Officer
LST -- Landing Ship, Tank
LST(H) -- Landing Ship, Tank (Casualty Evacuation)
LSV -- Landing Ship, Vehicle
LSX -- Landing Ship Planned
LT -- Large Tug (Army)
*LT or Lt -- Lieutenant
L/T -- Line Telecommunications
LT -- Link Trainer Instructor
LTA -- Lighter Than Air
LtCol -- Lieutenant Colonel
LtCom -- Lieutenant Commander
LtComdr -- Lieutenant Commander
LTD -- Limited
LtGen -- Lieutenant General
Lt (jg) -- Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
Ltr -- Letter
Ltr -- Lighter than air
LTS -- Landfall Technique School, New York
Lv -- Leave
LV -- Light Vessel
LVD -- Absent on leave from ship's company duty
LVN -- Absent on leave not from ship's company
L-V(S) -- USNR designation for commissioned legal officers qualified for specialist duties. This classification was abolished in September 1944 and replaced by S(L).
LVT -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked
LVT(1) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Unarmored (Mark I) ("Alligator")
LVT(2) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Unarmored (Mark II) ("Water Buffalo")
LVT(3) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Unarmored (Mark III)
LVT(4) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Unarmored (Mark IV)
LCT(A) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked (Armored) (Turret Type)
LVT(A)(1) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked (Armored) (Mark I) ("Water Buffalo," Turret Type)
LVT(A)(2) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked (Armored) (Mark II) ("Water Buffalo," Canopy Type)
LVT(A)(4) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked (Armored) (Mark IV)
LVT(A)(5) -- Landing Vehicle, Tracked (Armored) (Mark V)
LW -- U.S. East Coast to Southwest Pacific (routing designation)
LWT -- Light Weight Type (anchor gear)
