Landing craft tank

The Landing Craft, Tank (or Tank Landing Craft) was an amphibious assault ship 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.

Development

Although the Royal Navy had built and used powered lighters used to land horses and men during the ill-fated 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 , and was capable of about . It was later developed into the Landing Craft Mechanical.

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...
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