These are quite an interesting type of landing craft. In fact, they were indispensible in helping the allies to get tanks and heavy eqmt ashore quickly. Several types were made, but all did the same thing. As I keep saying, the Germans didnt have these types of boats to transport their heavy eqmt and tanks right up onto an unimproved beach. This is further proof that their planned invasion of England was not going to work. And its further evidence of the superior logistical system of the US and UK.
World War II LCTs
Landing craft tank - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
After the evacuation from Dunkirk it was seen that the only feasible way for the Allies to fight in Europe was by landing on its beaches. Churchill'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 to the UK 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 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.
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 in the West Bottoms of Kansas City, Kansas. The ships were then floated more than 1,000 miles down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans, Louisiana prompting the ships to be nicknamed the "Prairie Ships."
UK production: 864 LCT(4)s were built. A British LCT, HM LCT (3) 7074 is owned by the Warship Preservation Trust and moored on the Wirral in England.
Note - I found the picture of the LCT being offloaded from the LST interesting, as my neighbor (who was an WW2 LST crewman) told me that their voyage from Pearl Harbor to the Philipines involved them carrying an LCT (or LCI) out there for the planned invasion of Japan.
Note - MK4's were UK built. MK5's were US Built
LCT Mk IV specifications
Length: 185.5 ft long
Draught: about 3 ft
Capacity: 9 M4 Sherman or 9 Cromwell tanks or 6 Churchill tanks, or 300 tons of cargo.
Armament: as the LCF(4): 8 20 mm Oerlikon cannon, 4 2pdr (40 mm) Pom-Pom (gun)s.
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