The Fairmile H Landing Craft were British
landing craft
Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. ...
of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Initially designed for
commando
A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines.
Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...
type raids from a base in Britain as a way of probing enemy defences and tying down additional troops, some were converted into fire support vessels.
Two variants were developed:
The Fairmile H – LCI (S)
This was the
Landing Craft Infantry
The Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) were several classes of landing craft used by the Allies to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches during World War II. They were developed in response to a British request for seagoing amphibious as ...
(Small) "LCI(S)" boat. Forty of this type were built from 1942 onwards and numbered "''LCI(S) 501''" to "''LCI(S) 540''". Eight of them were wartime losses – 511, 512, 517, 524, 531, 532, 537 and 540.
* ''LCI(S) 501'' – Tough Brothers, Teddington Wharf, Teddington.
* ''LCI(S) 502'' – Cadnell Brothers, Maylandsea, Althorne, near Chelmsford.
* ''LCI(S) 503'' – Frank Curtis, Looe, Cornwall.
* ''LCI(S) 504'' – W. Weatherhead and Sons, West Harbour, Cockenzie.
* ''LCI(S) 505'' – John Sadd & Sons, Maldon, Essex.
* ''LCI(S) 506'' – Solent Shipyards, Bursledon Bridge, Sarisbury Green.
* ''LCI(S) 507'' – Austins of East Ham, Twinn Wharf, Barking.
* ''LCI(S) 508'' – Frank Curtis,
Looe, Cornwall.
* ''LCI(S) 509'' – Thomson and Balfour, Victoria Saw Mills, Bo'ness.
* ''LCI(S) 510'' – J. S. Doig (Grimsby), Grimsby Docks.
* ''LCI(S) 511'' – Leo A. Robinson, Broadside Launch Works, Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 512'' –
Brooke Marine, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 513'' – Brooke Marine, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 514'' – Brooke Marine, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 515'' – Brooke Marine, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 516'' – Frank Curtis, Looe, Cornwall.
* ''LCI(S) 517'' – W. Weatherhead and Sons, West Harbour, Cockenzie.
* ''LCI(S) 518'' – Southampton Steam Joinery Company, Southampton.
* ''LCI(S) 519'' – Frank Curtis, Looe, Cornwall.
* ''LCI(S) 520'' – Collins Pleasurecraft Company,
Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England.
The suburb is located west of the centre of Lowestoft. It became a civil parish in 2017. It had an estimated population of 10,338 at the 2011 United Kingdom cen ...
, Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 521'' – Frank Curtis, Looe, Cornwall.
* ''LCI(S) 522'' – W. Weatherhead and Sons, West Harbour, Cockenzie.
* ''LCI(S) 523'' – Cadnell Brothers, Maylandsea, Althorne, near Chelmsford.
* ''LCI(S) 524'' – Thomson and Balfour, Victoria Saw Mills, Bo'ness.
* ''LCI(S) 525'' – Tough Brothers, Teddington Wharf, Teddington.
* ''LCI(S) 526'' – Itchenor Shipyard, Itchenor, near Chichester.
* ''LCI(S) 527'' – Frank Curtis, Looe, Cornwall.
* ''LCI(S) 528'' – Frank Curtis, Looe, Cornwall.
* ''LCI(S) 529'' – Frank Curtis, Looe, Cornwall.
* ''LCI(S) 530'' – W. Weatherhead and Sons, West Harbour, Cockenzie.
* ''LCI(S) 531'' – J. S. Doig (Grimsby), Grimsby Docks.
* ''LCI(S) 532'' – Collins Pleasurecraft Company, Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 533'' – Leo A. Robinson, Broadside Launch Works, Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 534'' – Brooke Marine, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 535'' – W. Weatherhead and Sons, West Harbour, Cockenzie.
* ''LCI(S) 536'' – Solent Shipyards, Bursledon Bridge, Sarisbury Green.
* ''LCI(S) 537'' – H. T. Percival,
Horning, Norfolk.
* ''LCI(S) 538'' – Brooke Marine, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 539'' – Brooke Marine, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
* ''LCI(S) 540'' – W. Weatherhead and Sons, West Harbour, Cockenzie.
The Fairmile H – LCS (L)(2)
This was a
Landing Craft Support
The Landing Craft, Support (Large) were two distinct classes of amphibious warfare vessels used by the United States Navy (USN) in the Pacific and the Royal Navy in World War II. The USN versions, which were later reclassified Landing Ship Supp ...
(LCS) boat fitted with extra weapons to give fire support to landing craft particularly in being able to provide some anti-tank capability. This was achieved by the simple expediency of mounting a tank turret complete with its 57 mm
6-pounder gun on the forward deck. Ten of this type were ordered from May 1942 onwards, assembled at the boatyards of six separate contractors from the kits provided in the same way as with other Fairmile craft and numbered "''LCS(L)(2) 251''" to "''LCS(L)(2) 260''". Three of these were war losses – 252, 256 and 258.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 251'' – Austins of East Ham, Twinn Wharf, Barking.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 252'' – Solent Shipyards, Bursledon Bridge, Sarisbury Green.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 253'' – H. T. Percival, Horning, Norfolk.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 254'' – A. M. Dickie & Sons. Bangor, North Wales.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 255'' – Brooke Marine, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 256'' – John Sadd & Sons, Maldon, Essex.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 257'' – Austins of East Ham, Twinn Wharf, Barking.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 258'' – Solent Shipyards, Bursledon Bridge, Sarisbury Green.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 259'' – H. T. Percival, Horning, Norfolk.
* ''LCS(L)(2) 260'' – Austins of East Ham, Twinn Wharf, Barking.
The usual
Fairmile construction techniques were used with all items prefabricated and supplied in kit form to boatyards for assembly and fitting out.
See also
*
Fairmile A motor launch
*
Fairmile B motor launch
*
Fairmile C motor gun boat
The Fairmile C motor gun boat was a type of motor gunboat designed by Norman Hart of Fairmile Marine for the Royal Navy. An intermediate design, twenty-four boats were ordered on 27 August 1940 from Fairmile Marine in kit form and were assembl ...
*
Fairmile D motor torpedo boat
The Fairmile D motor torpedo boat was a type of United Kingdom, British motor torpedo boat (MTB) and motor gunboat (MGB), conceived by entrepreneur Noel Macklin of Fairmile Marine and designed by naval architect Bill Holt for the Royal Navy. Ni ...
Notes
References
*
Lambert, John and Ross, Al
''Allied Coastal Forces of World War Two, Volume I : Fairmile designs and US Submarine Chasers.''1990. {{ISBN, 978-0-85177-519-7.
Landing craft
Ships of the Royal Navy