Landing Craft Gun Large (LCGL) 764 - Normandy 1944

Discussion in 'The War at Sea' started by Peter51, Apr 22, 2020.

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  1. Peter51

    Peter51 New Member

    I would be very grateful for any information on the above vessel. My late Father served on this vessel through the invasion and up to its sinking on August 3rd 1944 whilst on the "Cod Line". He spoke very little about the events, except as he neared his end and illness partially loosened his reserve. Many thanks.
     
  2. Welcome to the forum Peter !

    Have you tried the Search function using LCG(L) 764? There are quite a few posts mentioning here, including a collage I made of her from a colour film.

    Michel
     
  3. Peter51

    Peter51 New Member

    Hi Michel,
    Thank you for the welcome and the amazing picture of LCG(L) 764, well done for capturing that! Equally your suggested search of the posts has been a revelation after years of fruitless online searching: and i will spend sometime digesting the content.
    My aim is to record my Dads story before it is lost in time. My particular interests are what happened to LCGL764 0n D-Day and how were the survivors rescued on the 3rd August 1944( motor launch/hospital ship?). My Dad shot down a mine laying plane with an oerlickon gun but i don't know if this was in Normandy or when he was at Salerno, German records for air lossses in 1944 are not available. My dad made a pact with a crew mate to the effect that if one of them was wounded the other would get them out. My dad was badly wounded and given many doses of morphine so knew nothing of what happened, he only ever said that"it was worse( for the vessel) after he got off".
    Many thanks Michel and to the other contributors to the LCGL story.
    Regards
    Peter
     
  4. Spyder130355

    Spyder130355 Member

    My Dad was the skipper of LCG(L)764.

    It is mentioned on this YouTube video. It was part of the Trout Line, a defensive formation to protect the Eastern approaches of the landings. On the evening that they were sunk, they saw a red and green light heading towards them. They illuminated it with their Aldis lights and saw a small motorboat heading towards them. They shot it up with their Oerlikons. Several more appeared and one, although badly damaged, hit the side of the LCG and sank. Their engines were running and Dad’s request to move away from the spot was denied, because their vessel formed part of a defensive screen. The Linsen motorboat exploded, breaking the back of the LCG. Dad was last off as skipper and picked up by an ML, skippered I believe by someone called Rouse. If you have a picture of LCG(L)764, I would love to see it. all the best, Peter Webb
     
  5. Hi Peter,

    Welcome to the forum!

    For pictures of LCG(L) 764 see HMLCF 1 and the following post.

    Michel
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2023
  6. Spyder130355

    Spyder130355 Member

    A Canadian photographer took pictures including of the ships company. They are likely to have been archived in Canada.
    The only surviving artifact from LCG(L)764 to my knowledge is the sextant that had survived the explosion, due to being placed on a piece of foam rubber they fished out of the sea some days previously. When he checked the sinking vessel and was last off, he saw the sextant and a pair of binoculars in the wheelhouse and as a keen bird watcher, he often regretted his choice!
    764 and her crew was Dads favourite. Apparently he nearly got sent on the Dieppe raid. Subsequently he took part in Combined ops in North Africa and Salerno and eventually finished up in the Far East.
     
    Tom OBrien likes this.

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