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The Landing Craft
Landing craft

Landing craft are boats and seagoing vehicles used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an Amphibious warfare. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during World War II....
, Tank (Landing Craft Tank) was an amphibious assault ship
Amphibious assault ship

An amphibious assault ship is a type of helicopter carrier employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an Amphibious warfare....
 for landing tank
Tank

A tank is a Continuous track, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and Military tactics Offensive and defence capabilities....
s on beachheads. The first examples appeared during the Second World War. They were used by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 and U.S. Navy in World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. The latter used them afterwards under different designations in the Korean War
Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....
 and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
.






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Lct202
The Landing Craft
Landing craft

Landing craft are boats and seagoing vehicles used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an Amphibious warfare. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during World War II....
, Tank (Landing Craft Tank) was an amphibious assault ship
Amphibious assault ship

An amphibious assault ship is a type of helicopter carrier employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an Amphibious warfare....
 for landing tank
Tank

A tank is a Continuous track, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and Military tactics Offensive and defence capabilities....
s on beachheads. The first examples appeared during the Second World War. They were used by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 and U.S. Navy in World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. The latter used them afterwards under different designations in the Korean War
Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....
 and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
. During WWII, they were commonly called by their abbreviation, LCT.

History

After the evacuation from Dunkirk
Operation Dynamo

The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied Forces from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between May 26 and June 4 1940, when British, French and Canadian troops were cut off by the German army during the Battle of Dunkirk in the World War II....
 it was seen that the only feasible way for the Allies
Allies

In general, allies are people, groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose....
 to fight in Europe was by landing on its beaches. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
's suggestion for a boat capable of carrying one or more tanks led to a concerted approach to designs for "Combined Operations" craft. British constructors met in mid 1940 and drew up designs that led to one of them, Hawthorn Leslie, producing the first "Tank Landing Craft" in November 1940. This was the LCT Mk I also recorded as "LCT(1)".

The LCT was produced in several configurations, the two US ones were the Mark V and Mark VI. LCT Mk Vs had only a bow ramp while LCT Mk VIs had both bow and stern ramps. They were much smaller than the Landing Ship Tank (or LST), a larger amphibious assault ship for landing tanks which was capable of hauling and launching an LCT. They were unarmored and only lightly armed. LCT were not given names, only numbers. A large number were given through Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease

Lend-Lease was the name of the program under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Republic of China, Free France and other Allies of World War II with vast amounts of materiel between 1941 and 1945 in return for, in the case of Britain, military bases in Newfoundland and Labrador, Bermuda, and the British W...
 to the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and a small number to the USSR.

Besides being used to transport tanks, men or supplies, the LCT was a suitable platform for conversion and were modified for special duties for the invasion of Normandy
Battle of Normandy

The Invasion of Normandy was the invasion and establishment of Western Allies forces in Normandy, France, during Operation Overlord in World War II....
 in June 1944. To provide anti-aircraft protection for the convoys and during the assault itself several LCTs were converted into floating AA batteries, the LCT(4) conversions receiving the new designation LCF(4) "Landing Craft, Flak" and so forth. Some LCTs were fitted with guns or rockets (the later becoming Landing Craft, Tank (Rocket)) or as repair barges or minesweepers. Twenty-six of them had armor added, making them LCT(A), Landing Craft Tank (Armored) however, this reduced their load from 4 tanks to 3.

Lst Lct
After WWII, the surviving US MK5s were sold off for scrap or for civilian use while the MK6s were redesignated as Utility Landing Ship (LSU) in 1949 and redesignated again as Landing Craft Utility (LCU). Six of them were modified in 1948-49 for Arctic
Arctic

The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctica region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland , Russia, the United States , Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland....
 service. After WWII, new craft were built from the Mark V pattern with larger crew quarters. Some of these were later reclassified during the Vietnam War as Harbor Utility Craft (YFU) because they no longer served in an amphibious assault role but were only used in harbor support roles such as transporting goods from supply ships into harbor.

NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
 converted an LCT for astronaut recovery training in 1964 as MV Retriever
MV Retriever

Motor Vessel Retriever was was an Landing Craft Tank transferred to NASA from the U.S. Navy. It was used to train United States astronauts for post-Splashdown ocean recovery operations and water egress from their command modules during the Project Gemini and Project Apollo programs from 1964 into the early 1970s....
.

Production


US Production

A total of 1,435 of these craft were built, including 965 built during WWII. Most of the US LCT's were built at the Darby Steel Plant
Harry Darby

Harry Darby was an American politician from Kansas.Born in Kansas City, Kansas, he graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and served in the United States Army during the World War I, rising to the rank of captain....
 in the West Bottoms
West Bottoms

The West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River....
 of Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas

Kansas City is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County, Kansas. It is a Satellite town of Kansas City, Missouri and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area....
. The ships were then floated more than down the Missouri
Missouri River

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and the longest river in the United States of America. The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison River, Jefferson River, and Gallatin River rivers in Montana, and flows through Missouri River Valley south and east into the Mississippi north of St....
 and Mississippi
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
 rivers to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
 prompting the ships to be nicknamed the "Prairie Ships."

LCT-401 to LCT-500 (all Mk. V) were built by New York Shipbuilding at Camden, New Jersey.

As of 2004, at least one LCT is still in use: LCT-203 is the Outer Island on Lake Superior
Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, United States, and to the south by the U.S....
, working as a dredge and construction barge. This may be the only remaining ship of this type.

UK production

864 LCT(4)s were built. A British LCT, HM LCT (3) 7074 was owned by the Warship Preservation Trust
Warship Preservation Trust

The Warship Preservation Trust was based in Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England and hosted Europe's largest collection of preserved warships....
 and moored on the Wirral
Wirral Peninsula

Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded to the west by the River Dee, Wales, which forms the boundary with Wales, and to the east by the River Mersey....
, in England. Following the demise of the Trust in 2006, ownership of the collection transferred to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company
Mersey Docks and Harbour Company

The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company , formerly the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board , owns and administers the Dock facilities of the Port of Liverpool, on the River Mersey, England....
.

LCT Mk III specifications

Appeared from May 1941.
  • Number built: 235
  • Gross tonnage: 305
  • Length:
  • Breadth:
  • Engine: Paxman
    Paxman (engines)

    Paxman is a major United Kingdom brand of diesel engines. Ownership has varied greatly since the company's formation in 1865, the brand is now owned by MAN AG, as part of MAN B&W Diesel....
     diesel (71 with American Sterling Admiral petrol engines)


LCT Mk IV specifications


  • Length: 185.5 ft long
  • Draught: about
  • Capacity: 9 M4 Sherman
    M4 Sherman

    The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. It was also distributed to the Allies via lend lease....
     or 9 Cromwell tank
    Cromwell tank

    The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell , named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by United Kingdom in World War II....
    s or 6 Churchill tank
    Churchill tank

    The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV was a heavy United Kingdom infantry tank used in the World War II, best known for its heavy armour and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles....
    s, or 300 tons of cargo.
  • Armament: as the LCF(4): 8 20 mm Oerlikon cannon
    Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

    The term "Oerlikon 20 mm cannon" refers to a series of autocannons, based on an original designed by Reinhold Becker during World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others....
    , 4 2pdr (40 mm) Pom-Pom (gun)
    Pom-Pom (gun)

    pom-pom was a nickname used for various light autocannon whose sound was described as "pom-pom". It may refer to :*QF_1_pounder_pom-pom Maxim-Nordenfelt and Vickers-Maxim 37mm infantry gun of the Second Boer War, and World War I anti-aircraft gun....
    s.
The LCT IV in its original form was armed only with 2 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, mounted either side of the cabin. Sometimes they were additionally armed with pak 2 j projectors at the stern of the craft. After Normandy some of these craft were stiffened by adding additional plates to the sides and bottom in preparation for service in the Far east. These craft were constructed by metal fabrication companies and were put together at shipyards. Another feature of these craft, was that the tank deck was above the Waterline, whereas the previous marks of Landing craft the tank deck was below the waterline. Approx 740 MK IVs were constructed. Starting with Craft number no 500. These were mainly designed for use on the flat and shallow beaches of Normandy.

LCT Mk V specifications

  • Displacement: 133 tons (135 t), 286 (291 t) tons (landing)
  • Length: 117 ft (35.7 m)
  • Beam: 32 ft (9.8 m)
  • Draft: 2 ft 10 in (0.9 m) forward, 4 ft 2 in (1.3 m) aft (landing)
  • Speed: 8 knots (15 km/h)
  • Armament: 2 x 20 mm
  • Complement: 1 officer, 12 enlisted
  • Capacity: 5 x 30-ton (27 t) or 4 x 40-ton (36 t) or 3 x 50-ton (45 t) tanks; or 9 trucks; or 150 short tons (136 t) cargo
  • 3 Gray 225 hp (168 kW) diesels; triple screws


LCT Mk VI specifications

  • Displacement: 143 tons (145 t), 309 (314 t) tons (landing)
  • Length: 119 ft (36.3 m)
  • Beam: 32 ft (9.8 m)
  • Draft: 3 ft 7 in (1.1 m) forward, 4 ft (1.2 m) aft (landing)
  • Speed: 8 knots (15 km/h)
  • Armament: 2 x 20 mm
  • Complement: 1 officer, 12 enlisted
  • Capacity: 4 medium or 3 x 50-ton (45 t) tanks; or 150 short tons (136 t) cargo; accommodations for 8 troops
  • 3 Gray 225 hp (168 kW) diesels; triple screws


See also

  • Amphibious assault
  • Landing craft
    Landing craft

    Landing craft are boats and seagoing vehicles used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an Amphibious warfare. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during World War II....
  • List of British Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank
    List of British Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank

    This is a list of named Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank operated the Royal Navy.These Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank were operated by the Royal Navy but appear to have been un-named and decommissioned prior to 1960....


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