LCPL
United States Marine Corps reinforcements at Guadalcanal debark from an LCP(L). Though the surf is light and there is no enemy fire apparent, these men are still presented with some balancing challenges and a tall leap from the bow.
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| Class overview | |
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| Name: | Landing Craft Personnel (Large) |
| Builders: | Higgins Industries, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Operators: | |
| Preceded by: | Various ship's boats and cutters |
| Succeeded by: | LCP(R), LCVP |
| Subclasses: |
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| Built: | 1940-1943 |
| Active: | 0 |
| Preserved: | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Landing craft |
| Displacement: | US Model: 13,500 pounds (light), 21,600 pounds (loaded) |
| Tons burthen: | 6,700–8,100 pounds (3,039–3,674 kg) |
| Length: | 36 ft 8 in |
| Beam: | 10 ft 10 in |
| Draught: |
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| Ramps: | 0 |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: |
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| Troops: |
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| Crew: |
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| Armament: |
US model: 2 x Browning .30 cal. machine guns, or US manufactured Lewis .30 cal. machine guns RN model: 1 x .303 cal. Lewis Gun |
| Armor: | 3 x 10 lb. plates on bulkheads (fore of the .30 cal. cockpits, of the troop well and the engine space. |
| Notes: | from US Navy ONI 226 Allied Landing Craft and Ships, US Government Printing Office, 1944. |
US model: 2 x Browning .30 cal. machine guns, or US manufactured Lewis .30 cal. machine guns
The Landing Craft Personnel (Large) or LCP (L) was a landing craft used extensively in the Second World War. Its primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores. The craft derived from a prototype designed by the Eureka Tug-Boat Company of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Manufactured initially in boatyards in and around New Orleans, as requirements grew it was produced in a number of yards around the United States. Typically constructed of pine planks and plywood, and fitted with some armor plate, this shallow-draft boat with a crew of 3, could ferry an infantry platoon of 36 to shore at 8 knots (13 km/h). Men generally entered the boat by walking over a gangplank from the boat deck of their troop transport as the LCP(L) hung from its davits. When loaded, the LCP(L) was lowered into the water. Soldiers exited the boat by jumping or climbing down from the craft’s bow or sides.
During the 1930s, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) sought boats practical for landing troops on beaches. In 1936, the USMC conducted experiments with new types of boats, lighters, and launches. Many craft were considered coming from the Navy’s Bureau as well as commercial fishing boat designs. Included in these experiments were some prototypes where, upon beaching, a ramp was deployed over rollers on the bow. A few boats were overwhelmed by the surf and others did not prove practical, but the 28 feet (9 m) craft designed by the Eureka Tug-Boat Company of New Orleans was both a good sea boat and superior at beaching. The craft was based on the company’s 1926 spoonbill-bowed craft used by trappers in the bayous of the Mississippi River delta. The boat’s draft was rather shallow, 18 inches (46 cm), and it could cut through vegetation and slide over logs without ruining its propeller. It could also run up on shore and extract itself damage-free. As part of sales demonstrations, boats were often run up on the seawalls of Lake Pontchartrain (the craft was also infamous among law enforcement along the Gulf Coast as a vehicle for rum-runners). The Marines' specifications at the time were for boats operated by a crew of 6 that could carry a squad of 12 men. Such boats should be able to achieve 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h), and to be hoisted on the US Navy's standard davits. The general lines of the boat were accepted by the USMC, and in September 1940 Andrew J. Higgins, president of the Eureka Tug-Boat Company, was contracted to build a slightly larger craft to carry 24 fully equipped troops, or two squads. He produced the 32 feet (10 m) Eureka or Higgins boat. This was the craft first used in American Fleet Landing Exercises in 1941.
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