The Landing craft tank was an amphibious assault ship for landing tanks on beachheads, used by the U.S. Navy in World War II, and afterwards under different designations in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During WWII, they were commonly called by their abbreviation, LCT. The ship was produced in two configurations called 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 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.

After WWII, the surviving MK5s were sold off for scrap or for civilian use while the MK6s were redesignated as Utility Landing Ship (LSU) in 1949 and redesignated again as designated Landing Craft Utility (LCU). Six of them were modified in 1948-49 for Arctic service. After WWII, new craft were built from the Mark V pattern with larger crew quarters. Some of these were later reclassified during the Vietnam War as Harbor Utility Craft (YFU) because they no longer served in an amphibious assault role but were only used in harbor support roles such as transporting goods from supply ships into harbor.

Besides being used to transport tanks, men or supplies, some were retrofitted with guns or rockets or as repair barges or minesweepers. Twenty-six of them had armor added, making them LCT(A), Landing Craft Tank (Armored), for the D-Day invasion; however, this reduced their load from 4 tanks to 2.

A total of 1,435 of these craft were built, including 965 built during WWII. As of 2004, at least one is still in use: LCT-203 is the Outer Banks on Lake Superior, working as a dredge and construction barge. This may be the only remaining ship of this type.

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

LCT Mk VI specifications

• Displacement: 143 tons (145 t), 309 (314 t) tons (landing)
• Length: 119 ft (36.3 m)
• Beam: 32 ft (9.8 m)
• Draft: 3 ft 7 in (1.1 m) forward, 4 ft (1.2 m) aft (landing)
• Speed: 8 knots (15 km/h)
• Armament: 2 x 20 mm
• Complement: 1 officer, 12 enlisted
• Capacity: 4 medium or 3 x 50-ton (45 t) tanks; or 150 short tons (136 t) cargo; accommodations for 8 troops
• 3 Gray 225 hp (168 kW) diesels; triple screws

See also Landing craft, amphibious assault

External link

• Photo archive organized by indivdual ship
• LCT History