The Landing Craft, Tank (LCT) (or Tank Landing Craft TLC) was an amphibious assault craft for landing

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful ...

s on beachheads. They were initially developed by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

and later by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in a series of versions. Initially known as the "tank landing craft" (TLC) by the British, they later adopted the U.S. nomenclature "landing craft, tank" (LCT). The United States continued to build LCTs post-war, and used them under different designations in the Korean and

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Development

In 1926, the first motor landing craft (MLC1) was built by the Royal Navy. It weighed 16 tons, with a draught of , and was capable of about . It was later developed into the

landing craft mechanised Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...

. It was at the insistence of the British prime minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

in mid-1940 that the LCT was created. Its speed was on engines delivering about . Designated the LCT Mark 1, 20 were ordered in July 1940 and a further 10 in October 1940.)

Mark 1

The first LCT Mark 1 was launched by

Hawthorn Leslie R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilder and locomotive manufacturer. The company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982. History The company was form ...

in November 1940. It was designed to land three of the heaviest tanks (40t) then envisaged for the British Army in 2 ft 6ins of water on a 1:35 gradient beach. They were designed on the same principle as a floating dock, with watertight side pontoons on each side joined by a tank deck set below the waterline. The tank deck swept up above the waterline near the bow before falling away again to the ramp. Engines were two Hall Scott Defender petrol engines of 500 hp each. The craft were arranged in four sections so they could be shipped to the

Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to commun ...

as deck cargo on merchant ships. Thirty of these craft were ordered."Selected Papers on British Ship Design in World War II"

Mark 2

The LCT Mark 2 was longer and wider than the Mark 1, with three

Napier Lion The Napier Lion is a 12-cylinder, petrol-fueled 'broad arrow' W12 configuration aircraft engine built by D. Napier & Son from 1917 until the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day and kept it in produ ...

petrol engines replacing the Hall-Scotts as these were required for Coastal Forces craft. At , it had three times the range of its predecessor. Seventy-three Mk.2s were built. Increasing the beam of the Mk2 by allowed a much greater cargo capacity of lighter vehicles, where the Mk1 could only carry three

Valentine tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk III, Valentine was an infantry tank produced in the United Kingdom during World War II. More than 8,000 of the type were produced in eleven marks, plus various specialised variants, accounting for approximately a quarter ...

s the Mark 2 could carry 7. The first craft were ordered in December 1940 and completed in March 1941. The craft was a little faster but three sets of running gear strained the supply position so later Mk2 had two Paxman diesel engines of 500 hp each. It was apparent now that LCTs would be required in huge numbers and ship builders would not have the capacity so structural steelwork firms were added to the program to prefabricate the structure and former shipyards reopened to assemble the craft. Like the Mark 1 the Mark 2 was assembled in four sections to facilitate shipping to Eastern Mediterranean.

Mark 3

At the Mark 3 was longer than the Mark 2. Although this meant extra weight, the vessel was slightly faster than the Mark 1. Two hundred and thirty-five Mk. 3s were built. The 32 ft section was added in May 1941 to the Mark 2 as a fifth building section, parallel sided. This meant the capacity went to 11 Valentines or 11

M4 Sherman } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It ...

medium tanks or 5

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

infantry tanks. 166 craft were buit using two Paxman diesels, 71 were built in the winter of 1943-1944 to a slightly revised pattern using two Sterling Admiral petrol engines. These are usually referred to as Mark 3* or 7000 series as they had pennant numbers from 7000 upwards. LCT7074, currently preserved in Portsmouth, UK, is of this type.

Mark 4

The Mark 4 had a much wider beam - - than the Mark 3. Built for use in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

, it had a displacement of 586 tons and was powered by two 460 hp Paxman diesels. With a capacity of 350 tons, it could carry nine M4 Sherman or six Churchill tanks. Eight hundred and sixty-five Mk.4s were built, the largest LCT production in British yards. In addition to the increased beam, the Mark IV had a draught reduced to 3 ft 8in forward and 4 ft aft, allowing assault operations of much flatter beaches. The tank deck was brought above the waterline. Construction was somewhat flimsy and a number of these vessels broke their backs on uneven beaches or in heavy seas; nevertheless, the type gave excellent service. Later versions were stiffened and some made voyages to India. All of these vessels were built from prefabricated kits assembled in riverside yards, no ship builders were used in their construction.

Mark 5

After World War II, eleven were used in 1950-1960 by the Polish Navy amphibious forces, with BDS, later ODS prefixes. Production:http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lct5.htm * New York Shipbuilding, NJ: 100 * Quincy Barge Builders, IL: 66 * Bison Shipbuilding, NY: 52 * Manitowoc, WI: 36 * Kansas City Steel, KS: 36 *Mount Vernon Bridge, OH: 36 *Decatur Iron & Steel, AL: 33 * Pidgeon Thomas Iron Works, TN: 31 *Omaha Steel, NE: 24 * Missouri Valley Bridge, KS: 20 * Darby Corporation, KS: 20 * Jones & Laughlin, PA: 16 Delivered: * Aug 1942: 53 * Sep 1942: 111 * Oct 1942: 145 * Nov 1942: 114 * Dec 1942: 44

Mark 6

Nine hundred and sixty Mk.6s were built. One hundred and sixty Mk.5 and Mk.6 LCTs were provided as

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

to the Royal Navy, and a small number to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. Production:http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lct6.htm * Bison Shipbuilding, NY: 301 *

Mare Island Navy Yard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates t ...

, CA: 216 * Pidgeon Thomas Iron Works, TN: 156 * Quincy Barge Builders, IL: 110 * Kansas City Steel, KS: 49 *Mount Vernon Bridge, OH: 46 * Missouri Valley Bridge, KS: 44 * Darby Corporation, KS: 42 *Manitowoc, WI: 1 Delivered: * Q3 1943: 43 * Q4 1943: 126 * Q1 1944: 238 * Q2 1944: 253 * Q3 1944: 216 * Q4 1944: 88

Mark 7

The Mark 7 was an even larger LCT that could carry troops. In 1944, when the Mk.7 design reached a length of 203 feet, its designation was changed to landing ship medium (LSM). The new variant could attain speeds of up to 12 knots and saw usage in the Pacific. 558 were built.

Mark 8

The 225-foot LCT Mark 8, intended for service in the Pacific, was developed by the British in 1944. One hundred and eighty-six Mk.8s were ordered; however, when the war ended, most were cancelled and scrapped, or sold directly into civilian service. Only 31 entered service with the Royal Navy. Twelve were later transferred to the British Army; these were initially operated by the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

, then by the

Royal Corps of Transport The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army Corps established to manage all matters in relation to the transport of men and material for the Army and the wider Defence community. It was formed in 1965 and disbanded in 1993; its units and ...

. Between 1958 and 1966, the other 19 ships were transferred to foreign navies or civilian companies, converted for other uses, or otherwise disposed of.

Mark 9

An even larger LCT Mark 9 was considered in 1944, but the design was never finalised and none were built.

Armament

The LCTs had a variety of weapons, with the British (40mm) QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" mounts being gradually replaced by the faster firing 20 mm Oerlikon cannon. The

Bofors 40 mm Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

was also widely used, and proved that the LCT was an excellent gunfire support vessel. Various machines guns were often mounted for self-defence from aircraft and small boats, often two to four in the .30-calibre (7.62 mm) and .50-calibre (12.7 mm), range depending on the operating country.

Conversions and modifications

Several special purpose versions were created for use during the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. The British created the Landing Craft Tank (Rocket) (LCT(R)) modified to fire salvoes of three-inch RP-3 rockets, while the Landing Craft Guns (Large) (LCG(L)) was armed with two QF 4.7 inch guns, eight Oerlikon 20 mm AA guns and two 2-pounder pom-poms. These ships did not beach; their mission was close-in gunfire support. The Landing Craft Tank (Armoured) (LCT(A)) was designed for use by the first wave and was equipped with additional armour protection for the crew stations and on the bows, while a heavy wooden ramp allowed the two forward tanks to fire forward. These were all U.S-built LCT Mk.5s, which had been provided under Lend-Lease to the British for Mediterranean operations, then "reverse lend-leased" back to the U.S. for the invasion. The Landing Craft Tank (self-propelled) (LCT(SP)) carried

self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled ...

s for fire support; in U.S. vessels these were 155 mm, while the British used M7 105 mm self-propelled guns and called them "Landing Craft Tank (High Explosive)" (LCT(HE)). A related variant was the British Landing Craft Tank (Concrete Buster) (LCT(CB)), which carried three British Sherman Firefly tanks fitted with the 17-pounder high velocity gun, specifically deployed to attack fortifications. Other variants included the Landing Craft Tank (Hospital) (LCT(H)) for casualty evacuation, and one LCT served as a floating bakery at Normandy. Some LCTs with specialised weaponry were used as floating

anti-aircraft batteries Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

. These were often manned by mixed army and navy crews. Others were modified after the war for uses such as dredging. USS LCT-749

Post-war

Unlike most wartime landing craft, the LCT remained in active duty with the U.S. Navy after the war, and many LCTs were also loaned or given to the post-war navies of Allied countries. In early 1949, their designation was changed to landing ship utility (LSU), and changed again in late 1949 to

landing craft utility A Landing Craft Utility (LCU) is a type of boat used by amphibious forces to transport equipment and troops to the shore. They are capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and troops from amphibious assault ships to beachheads or piers ...

(LCU). New landing craft (the LCU 1488-, 1610-, 1627- and 1646-classes) were also built to a modified Mark 5 design. Some were later reclassified during the

as harbour utility craft (YFUs) as they no longer served in an amphibious assault role, but were used in harbour support roles such as transporting goods from supply ships; however, the YFU-71-class were 11 "Skilak" lighters purchased as '

commercial off-the-shelf Commercial off-the-shelf or commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) products are packaged or canned (ready-made) hardware or software, which are adapted aftermarket to the needs of the purchasing organization, rather than the commissioning of ...

', and so were not originally LCUs. In 1964,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

converted an LCT Mk.5 for astronaut recovery training as ''

MV Retriever MV ''Retriever'' was a World War II-era Landing Craft Utility transferred to NASA from the U.S. Army. It was used to train United States astronauts for post-splashdown ocean recovery operations and water egress from their command modules during t ...

''. Currently, tanks are mostly transported via

Airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distan ...

or National Defense Reserve Fleet freighters (as during the

Persian Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

) over long distances, but can be delivered by Landing Craft Air Cushion.

Survivors

As of August 2007, at least one wartime LCT is still in use, the Mark 5 ''LCT-203'', now renamed ''Outer Island'', and operating on

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

as a dredge and construction barge. As of August 2016, the Mark 6 ''LCT-1433'' was also in use as a fishing/merchant vessel in

Kodiak, Alaska Kodiak ( Alutiiq: , russian: Кадьяк), formerly Paul's Harbor, is the main city and one of seven communities on Kodiak Island in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska. All commercial transportation between the island's communities and the outside ...

, having been renamed ''Cape Douglas''. The British Mark 2, converted to LCT rocket '' LCT(2)(R) 147'' served in the North Africa landings, then as a clandestine immigration ship post-war. She is now at the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

, Israel. The British Mark 3 '' LCT 7074'' served in Normandy and was decommissioned in 1948 and presented to the Master Mariners' Club of

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

to be used as their club ship and renamed ''Landfall''. Later converted to a floating nightclub, in the late 1990s the vessel was acquired by the

Warship Preservation Trust The Warship Preservation Trust was based in Birkenhead, Wirral, England and hosted Europe's largest collection of preserved warships. The collection was brought to Birkenhead in 2002 and was moored in the West Float of the Birkenhead docks c ...

and was moored at

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liv ...

. In January 2006, the Trust went into liquidation and the ship was left to rot, and by April 2010 had sunk at her berth. The craft was refloated in

East Float The Great Float is a body of water on the Wirral Peninsula, England, formed from the natural tidal inlet, the Wallasey Pool. It is split into two large docks, East Float and West Float, both part of the Birkenhead Docks complex. The docks r ...

on 16 October 2014 and moved to Portsmouth for renovation. LCT 7074's renovation was completed in Summer 2020 and she was moved to her new home at

The D-Day Story The D-Day Story (formerly the D-Day Museum) is a visitor attraction located in Southsea, Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. It tells the story of Operation Overlord during the Normandy D-Day landings. Originally opened as the D-Day Museum i ...

museum in Southsea on 24 August 2020.

Wrecks

A D-Day veteran and the last known Mark 4, ''

LCT 728 LCT may refer to: Science Biology * Lysosomal cystine transporter family * Long-chain triglyceride *LCT gene, a gene that encodes the enzyme lactase Chemistry * Lower consolute temperature, the critical temperature below which the components of ...

'', was rediscovered rotting at the

Port of Poole The Port of Poole is a cross channel port on Poole Harbour in Poole, Dorset, South West England. Along with Weymouth Harbour, Poole has the other major Channel Port in Dorset. History In World War II, the port was used in the Normandy la ...

alongside another unknown Mark 3, possibly '' LCT(4) 510''. They were used as floating barges in the 1950s. In 2020, the wreck of an LCT was discovered off Bardsey Island, Wales at a depth of . The vessel is thought to be LCT ''326'', which disappeared on 31 January 1943 in heavy weather with the loss of all 14 crew. The wreck is in two parts, separated by . This suggests the vessel was broken in two by the weather and the two halves remained afloat long enough to allow them to drift slightly apart.

Cultural references

Literature

Hammond Innes' 1962 adventure novel ''Atlantic Fury'' describes the hasty late-season evacuation, on LCTs, of equipment and personnel from a military radar station on an island called Laerg (based on

Hirta Hirta ( gd, Hiort) is the largest island in the St Kilda archipelago, on the western edge of Scotland. The names (in Scottish Gaelic) and ''Hirta'' (historically in English) have also been applied to the entire archipelago. Now without a perman ...

, in the St. Kilda Archipelago, about 40 miles west of Scotland's

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coas ...

), while a severe storm bears down. The author details the vulnerabilities of the LCTs in heavy seas and shifting winds, and the difficulties of landing and disembarking on the small rugged island.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Photo archive organized by individual shipWorld War II Landing Craft TanksMemories of Landing Craft
by Lt-Cdr. Maxwell Miller

US Navy, ONI 226, Allied Landing Craft and Ships, April 1944
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landing Craft Tank LCT Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944