Tank landing craft
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCT Mark 1 |
| Operators: |
 Royal Navy
|
| Built: | 1940 |
| Completed: | 30 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 372 long tons (378 t) |
| Length: | 152 ft (46 m) |
| Beam: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Draught: | 3 ft (0.91 m) (forward) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 350 hp (261 kW) Hall-Scott petrol engine, 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) |
| Range: | 900 nmi (1,700 km; 1,000 mi) |
| Capacity: | 250 long tons (254 t) |
| Complement: | 12 (2 officers, 10 enlisted men) |
| Armament: | 2 × single 2-pounder pom-pom |
| Armour: |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCT Mark 2 |
| Operators: |
Royal Navy
|
| Built: | 1941 |
| Completed: | 73 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 590 short tons (535 t) |
| Length: | 159 ft 11 in (48.74 m) |
| Beam: | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Draught: | 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) (forward) |
| Propulsion: | 3 × 460 hp (343 kW) Paxman diesels or 350 hp (261 kW) Napier Lion petrol engines, 3 shafts |
| Speed: | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) |
| Range: | 2,700 nmi (5,000 km) |
| Capacity: | 5 × 30-ton or 4 × 40-ton or 3 × 50-ton tanks or 9 trucks or 250 long tons (254 t) of cargo |
| Complement: | 12 |
| Armament: | 2 × single 2-pounder pom-pom or 2 × single Bofors 40 mm guns |
| Armour: |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCT Mark 3 |
| Operators: |
Royal Navy
|
| Built: | 1941 |
| Completed: | 235 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 640 long tons (650 t) |
| Length: | 192 ft (59 m) |
| Beam: | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Draught: | 3 ft 10 in (1.17 m) (forward) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 460 hp (343 kW) Paxman diesels or Sterling petrol engines, 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Range: | 2,700 nmi (5,000 km) |
| Capacity: | 300 long tons (305 t) of cargo |
| Complement: | 12 |
| Armament: | 2 × single 2-pounder pom-pom or 2 × single Bofors 40 mm guns |
| Armour: |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCT Mark 4 |
| Operators: |
Royal Navy
|
| Built: | 1941–1942 |
| Completed: | 865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 586 long tons (595 t) |
| Length: | 187 ft 3 in (57.07 m) |
| Beam: | 38 ft 9 in (11.81 m) |
| Draught: | 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) (forward) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 460 hp (343 kW) Paxman diesel engines, 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) |
| Range: | 1,100 nmi (2,000 km) |
| Capacity: | 350 long tons (356 t) of cargo |
| Complement: | 12 |
| Armament: | 2 × single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon or 2 × single Bofors 40 mm guns |
| Armour: |
|
LCT-202 off the coast of England, 1944
|
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCT Mark 5 |
| Operators: | |
| Built: | 1942–1944 |
| Completed: | 470 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 286 short tons (259 t) (landing) |
| Length: | 117 ft 6 in (35.81 m) |
| Beam: | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Draft: |
|
| Propulsion: | 3 × 225 hp (168 kW) Gray marine diesels, 3 shafts |
| Speed: | 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) |
| Range: | 700 nmi (1,300 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 5 × 30-ton or 4 × 40-ton or 3 × 50-ton tanks or 9 trucks or 150 short tons (136 t) of cargo |
| Complement: | 13 (1 officer, 12 enlisted men) |
| Armament: | 2 × single 20 mm AA gun mounts |
| Armor: |
|
LCT-1141 unloading at Saint-Raphaël in southern France during Operation Dragoon, August 15, 1944
|
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCT Mark 6 |
| Operators: | |
| Built: | 1943–1944 |
| Completed: | 960 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 284 short tons (258 t) |
| Length: | 119 ft 1 in (36.30 m) |
| Beam: | 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m) |
| Draft: | 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m) (forward) |
| Propulsion: | 3 × 225 hp (168 kW) Gray marine diesels, 3 shafts |
| Speed: | 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) |
| Range: | 700 nmi (1,300 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 150 short tons (136 t) of cargo |
| Complement: | 12 |
| Armament: |
|
| Armor: |
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The landing craft, tank (or tank landing craft) was an amphibious assault craft for landing tanks on beachheads. They were initially developed by the British Royal Navy and later by the United States Navy during World War II 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 Wars.
Although the Royal Navy had built and used powered lighters to land horses and men during the unsuccessful Gallipoli Campaign of World War I, the invention of the tank meant that a specialized landing craft would be needed. In 1926, the first motor landing craft (MLC1) was built by the Royal Navy. It weighed 16 tons, with a draught of 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m), and was capable of about 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph). It was later developed into the landing craft mechanised.
However, it was at the insistence of the British prime minister, Winston Churchill, that the LCT was created. In mid-1940, he demanded an amphibious vessel capable of landing at least three 36-ton heavy tanks directly onto a beach, able to sustain itself at sea for at least a week, and inexpensive and easy to build. Admiral Maund, director of the Inter-Service Training and Development Centre (which had developed the landing craft assault), gave the job to naval architect Sir Roland Baker, who within three days completed initial drawings for a 152-foot (46 m) landing craft with a 29-foot (8.8 m) beam and a shallow draft. Ship builders Fairfields and John Brown agreed to work out details for the design under the guidance of the Admiralty Experimental Works at Haslar. Tank tests with models soon determined the characteristics of the craft, indicating that it would make 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) on engines delivering about 700 hp (520 kW). Designated the LCT Mark 1, 20 were ordered in July 1940 and a further 10 in October 1940.
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