HISTORY OF THE LCT - Landing Craft Tank
Landing Craft were naval vessels with one basic design objective… the capability of carrying their cargo directly onto a beachhead. In the case of the LCT, that meant the ability to deliver 6 tanks or a comparable 150 ton load onto a beach. The LCT could trace its lineage back to a World War I craft called a Lighter which was used primarily to load and unload men and horses. Renewed attention in the vehicle started again in 1940 when Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill expressed interest in a naval vessel capable of carrying tanks directly to a beachhead. Churchill reviewed designs from in 1937 craft but found them lacking. With Germany poised to invade England, I thought it was curious that Churchill was still eager to go on the offensive. Churchill wanted the vessel to carry a load of tanks and armored vehicles in any kind of weather and deliver them directly onto the beach on now occupied coast of Europe. The prime minister's idea called for a vessel able to land 3 36 ton tanks directly onto a beach; a vessel able to sustain itself it at sea for at least a week; a vessel with acceptable if not commodious crew accommodations and a design simplicity whereby the craft could easily be built by joining separate unitized sections which would make for easier shipment aboard large cargo vessels. He also advocated a simple sequence of construction that be executed by steelworkers unfamiliar with the intricacies of ship construction. In short, he wanted assault craft that were inexpensive, easy to build, expendable vessels that could put tanks and men ashore in the quickest time.

Taking the prime minister's challenge, in three days British Naval architects completed initial drawings for a vessel that would become a 152 foot landing craft with a 29 foot beam and shallow draft. The first LCT Mark I was launched in November 1940, and it was an all welded steel-hulled vessel weighing 372 tons that drew only 3 feet of water at its bow. One important key to the LCT's concept was a large stern mounted cage anchor which was dropped while approaching the beach. This anchor helped to keep the craft from broaching and with its powerful winch in able to pull itself off the beach once the cargo was unloaded. The LCT design continued to be improved and by the start of 1944 the Navy had begun to accept delivery of LCT Mark VIs.

When the three pontoon sections, which form the hull of the craft are bolted together, the Mark VI measures 120 feet long, 32 feet wide and at this point is little more than a barge. Atop this “barge” are placed 4 prefabricated rooms of ½ inch steel-plate which are welded onto the tank deck. Three rooms measure 20 feet long by 8 ½’ wide, while the fourth was only 12 feet long and 8 ½ feet wide. One of these steel rooms served as the galley and was placed at the rear (aft) of the tank deck on the left (port) side. Another of the rooms served as the enlisted quarters for 12 men and was situated on the port side just in front of the galley. Directly across from the enlisted quarters a third room served as the quarters for 2 officers and up to six more enlisted men. The fourth prefabricated room was the “head” or bathroom which measured eight and half feet wide by 12 feet long and was situated just behind the officers quarters on the starboard (right) side of the craft. There is 13 feet of open tank deck between the port and starboard pre-fabricated rooms. The pilothouse measuring approximately 6 x 9 was placed atop the officer’s quarters and served as a command center for the craft. The Mark VI had three diesel engines each putting out about 225 hp and has a sailing range of about 700 miles at 7 knots (about 8 miles per hour). When loaded to capacity of 150 tons the Mark VI has a maximum draft of 5 feet. It was designed to deliver tanks, half tracks, trucks, jeeps and personnel to a beach in Europe. By driving as far up onto the beach as possible, the front ramp dropped and the transported vehicles could drive directly onto the beach. The process in loading a LCT was very similar to that of a Ferry. The LCT “backs up” to a dock or to another ship like an LSU, opens the backdoor of the craft which accommodates a ramp from the larger ship, and allows vehicles to be loaded onto the tank deck facing forward. When loading is complete the back door is closed the LCT sails to the landing site, and beaches itself, drops the 13th feet wide ramp, allowing the transported vehicles to disembark right onto the beach.