Landing Craft Mechanized
Encyclopedia
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
designed for carrying vehicles. They came to prominence during the Second World War when they were used to land troops or tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s during Allied
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
amphibious assaults.
Variants
There was no single design of LCM used, unlike the Landing Craft, Vehicle, PersonnelLCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
(LCVP) or Landing Craft Assault
Landing Craft Assault
The Landing Craft Assault was a British landing craft used extensively in World War II. Its primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores. The craft derived from a prototype designed by John I. Thornycroft Ltd. During the war it was manufactured throughout...
(LCA) landing craft made by the US and UK respectively. There were several different designs built by the UK and US and by different manufacturers.
LCM (1)
The Landing Craft Mechanical Mark I was an early British model, it was able to be slung under the davits of a liner or on a cargo ship boom with the result that it was limited to a 16 ton tank. The British LCM was conceived and tested in 1920 and was used from 1924 in exercises.The Landing Craft Mechanical Mark I was used during the Allied landings in Norway, and at Dieppe
Dieppe Raid
The Dieppe Raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and by 10:50 AM the Allied...
and some 600 were built.
- Displacement: 35 tonnes
- Length : 13.6 m
- Width : 4.27 m
- Draught : 1.22 m
- Machinery : two Chrysler 100 hp petrol engines
- Speed : 7 knots
- Crew : 6 men
- Armament : two .303 mm Lewis gunLewis GunThe Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...
s - capacity: one medium tank, or 26.8 tons of cargo or 60 troops
- 100 men
- 54,500 lbs with 9 inches of freeboard
LCM (2)
- Displacement: 29 tons
- Length: 45 ft (14 m)
- Beam: 14 ft 1 in (4.3 m)
- Draft: 13 ft (4.0 m)
- Speed: 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h)
- Armament: two .50-cal M2 Browning machine guns
- Crew: 4
- capacity; 100 troops, or one 13.5 ton tank, or 15 tons of cargo
Approximately 150 were built.
LCM (3)
There were two designs:- BUREAU
Capable of carrying 120000 lb (54,431.1 kg) of cargo.
- Higgins
The builder responsible for the LCVP. In appearance very similar to the LCVP
LCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
with a 10 feet (3 m) wide load area at the front and a small armoured (1/4 inch steel) wheelhouse on the aft decking over the engineroom. Capable of carrying a single 30-ton tank (e.g., an M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
), 60 troops, or 60000 lb (27,215.5 kg) of cargo. There is a Higgins LCM-3 on display at the Battleship Cove
Battleship Cove
Battleship Cove, located in Fall River, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit maritime museum and war memorial that traces its origins to the wartime crew of the World War II battleship . This dedicated veterans group was responsible for the donation of the decommissioned vessel from the Navy and its...
maritime museum
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
in Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
.
LCM (6)
An LCM (3) extended by 6 feet (1.8 m) amidships.- Power Plant: 2- Detroit 6-71 Diesel engines; 348 hp sustained; twin shaft, or 2- Detroit 8V-71 Diesel engines; 460 hp sustained; twin shaft
- Length: 56.2 feet (17.1 m)
- Beam: 14 feet (4.3 m)
- Displacement: 64 tons (65 metric tons) full load
- Speed: 9 kt (10.3 mph, 16.6 km/h)
- Range:130 miles (240 km) at 9 knots (17.6 km/h)
- Military lift: 34 tons (34.6 metric tons) or 80 troops
- Crew: 5
LCM (8)
General characteristics, LCM 8 Type- Power Plant:2- Detroit 12V-71 Diesel engines; 680 hp sustained; twin shafts
- Length: 73.7 feet (22.5 m)
- Beam: 21 feet (6.4 m)
- Displacement: 105 tons (106.7 metric tons) full load
- Speed: 12 kt (13.8 mph, 22.2 km/h)
- Range: 190 nm (350 km) at 9 knots (17.6 km/h) full load
- Capacity: 53.5 tons (54.4 metric tons)
- Military lift: one M48 or one M60 tank or 200 troops
- Crew: 5