Landing Craft Tank Armoured LcT A 2433

Heading out of the Tyne

LCT-433 / LCT(HE)-2433

LCTs were built in two models. The MK5 was 112 foot, 9 inches in length with a beam 32 feet, a displacement of 286 tons and a crew of 13. The MK5 had a bow ramp only in contrast to the MK6 which had both a bow and stern ramp and was 119 feet long with a beam of 32 feet and a displacement of 284 tons with a crew of 12. LCTs were the Navys all purpose general duty vessel. Besides carrying tanks ashore they were used for many different purposes. Some were converted and equiped with guns, others with rockets, while still others served as minesweepers. 26 MK5s were designated LCT(A), armored. Armor was added to these LCTs to allow them to go into the Normandy beachhead with the fire power of two tanks. At wars end all MK5s were disposed of while the MK6s were redesignated as Utility Landing Ship LSU in 1949 and redesignated Landing Craft Utility LCU, 15 April 1956.
ref.
NavSource Landing Craft Tank Photo Archive

I have asked what H.E refers to in the above! (high explosive) But why?

from
British Landing Craft of World War II - Page 2 of 2 - Naval Historical Society of Australia

The story of the LCTs (Armoured), is unfortunately not a happy one, although the Royal Marines showed all their characteristic courage and enterprise. The heavy armour was a bad mistake, and they were unlucky – some foundered on passage, some broke down at sea, others were damaged by underwater obstacles. On all five beaches, only twenty out of eighty tanks landed within the first quarter of an hour after H Hour, and only twenty eight more landed within the next four hours. The truth is that the LCT(A)s were overloaded, and in the prevailing weather were unseaworthy.

ref NavSource Naval History - Photo Archive Main Index
Landing Craft Tank (Mark 5):

• Laid down in September 1942 at New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden, N.J.

• Launched in September 1942

• Delivered in September 1942

• LCT(5)-433 saw no active service with the US Navy

• Transferred, 20 September 1942, to the United Kingdom under terms of the Lend-Lease program, redesignated HM LCT(HE)-2433 (High Explosives)

• Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

• Final Disposition, fate unknown

Specifications:
Displacement 285 t.(fl)
Length 114' 2" (o.a.)
Beam 32' 8"
Draft
limiting 3' 6"
max.navigational 3' 6"
Speed 10 kts.
Range 700 nautical miles at 7 kts.
Complement
1 officer
10 enlisted
Cargo Capacity 150 short tons
Armament
two single 20mm AA gun mounts
two .50 cal. machine guns
Armor
wheelhouse 2 1/2"
gun shields 2"
Fuel Capacity Diesel 80 Bbls
Propulsion
three Grey Marine 6-71 Diesel engines
one Diesel-drive 20Kw 120V. D.C. Ships' service generator
three propellers, 675shp


Having three diesel driven shafts, and all having the same direction of rotation, manoeuvring is always going to be difficult.

LCT(HE)-2433 beached, on D-Day at Normandy, 6 June 1944. Both craft were units to the 100th LCT(A)(HE) Flotilla assigned to Sword beach with the 8th Infantry Brigade (assaulting) of the 3rd British Division.

 

The "HE" craft weren't the rocket-equipped ones?

 

Superb photo, even nicer in higher resolution in your gallery LcT A 2433 | WW2Talk

Where did you find it?

2433 was indeed an LCT(A), not an LCT(HE) which also had the raised platform and sometimes some ligher armour added to the wheelhouse, but not the other modifications of the LCT(A) such as the armour plate welded to the bows. There were 48 LCT(A): 8 each for UTAH and OMAHA Areas, 16 in GOLD and 8 each in JUNO and SWORD.

The term "HE" or "High Explosive" probably originates from their intended use, i.e. to carry tanks firing High Explosive shells.

 

No, that would be a LC R like this. (R398) with lots of rocket racks on deck. see
R398 | WW2Talk

 

ref
Landing Craft, Tank (LCT) (1940-1945)

Landing Craft Tank (Armoured) (LCT(A))
LCT(A) in rough seas src They were designed for the first wave, with additional armour protection on crew stations and bow doors. There was a heavy wooden ramp enabling the two forward tanks to fire forward above the walls while underway. These were all LCT Mk.5s of US construction provided under Lend-Lease for Mediterranean operations and later "reverse lend-leased" back to the U.S. for D-Day. PictureBefore their pennant, the prefix LCT(a) was painted, often in red. Otherwise ther still resembled regular LCTs. The Royal Marine Armoured Support Group was formed solely to carry out an important but short-lived role in the initial assault on German held France in 1944. Namely, to man guns mounted on board landing craft to fire against shore defences during the run-in to the landing beaches, and by using the beached landing craft, to provide artillery fire in support of the first waves of infantry to land until the artillery of the army was ashore. The weapons used were the 95mm howitzers mounted as the main armament on obsolete Centaur IV close-support tanks that were shackled to the decks. See MOD file for full caption, etc. (IWM)

and.

This not a LCT(SP) but can give an idea. Photograph, circa 1942, showing a Sexton self propelled gun on board a Mark 4 Landing Craft Tank (LCT) during trials. src They carried self-propelled guns for fire support. US vessels had 155 mm "long tom" guns, while British variants used the M7 Priest 105 mm called "Landing Craft Tank (High Explosive)" or (LCT(HE)).

Looking at the LCT (A) 2273 corkscrewing around with a very small freeboard, it is amazing that any managed to sail through any choppy sea and not become swamped.

I gather, Armoured (A) means some addition armour to crew positions, and the Armour (tank) can provide gun support on the run in on the first wave, fixed or secured to deck or not, for more permanent gun support while beached.

While (H.E) means the larger gunned self propelled units 105mm.

 

The data in "Landing Craft, Tank (LCT) (1940-1945)" is confused.

Whereas Centaurs were initially to remain on board their craft, it was later decided that they should disembark and continue their support role on land. The 80 Centaur SP guns of the RMASG required 40 LCT fitted with the raised platform, but since only 32 LCT(A) were available (because 16 had been alloted to the Western Task Force), LCT(HE) were used for the remaining 8 craft and were all alloted to JUNO Area.

Same principle applied to OMAHA and UTAH, where LCT(HE) (and sometimes standard LCT(5)) were used to make up numbers of the Gunfire Support Craft for the M4 tanks which could not be carried in LCT(A).

"LCT(SP)" was not a specific type of landing craft, just a short way to say "LCT carrying SP guns from Field Artillery". None of them were LCT(HE) nor featured the platform.
These craft carrying Fd Arty SP guns for fire support during the run-in were standard LCT:

LCT(4) with "M7 105mm how SP", i.e. Priest (JUNO & SWORD) or "25 pr SP (Ram)", i.e. Sexton (GOLD)
LCT(5) with "Carr Mtr How M-7" (Carriage, Motor, 105-mm Howitzer, M7) (OMAHA & UTAH). 155mm guns were not used for fire support afloat.​

Michel

 

To be clear, LCT(HE) was, just like LCT(SP), not an official Royal Navy designation of a specific type of LCT. As far as I know, no LCT ever had her hull number showing "LCT(HE)" or "LCT(SP)" or "LCT(DD)". The Mark of the LCT was also never displayed, the hull number itself being sufficient to distinguish between the various marks, with the notable exception of the US Navy: all known photos of the ten US operated, reverse land lease LCT(HE) show the somewhat misleading marking "LCT(A)(5)" on their hulls, as do a few of their LCT(A).

 

Found this info, which maybe of interest.

Best regards,

Steve

 

Hooray! Can you give the document title from which it came. So I can inform our chums across the pond.

 

This is from Battle Summary No. 39. Unfortunately this is not completely correct. A more correct description would be:

LCT(HE) = LCT(5) (sometimes lightly armoured) with a raised platform fitted in the fore part of the tank deck, to enable direct fire from two tanks over the ramp or sides of the craft while afloat or beached. They were used exactly like LCT(A), in Forces "J" and "O" only.

LCT(CB) = same craft as LCT(HE), but mounting on the platform two Sherman Vc (Sherman V with 17 pr gun), plus some other vehicles aft (but no third 17pr tank). They were used only in Forces "J" and "S". Plans for use in other Forces as well were finally cancelled.

LCT(A) = LCT(HE) but with much more substantial armour and some further modifications. In the Eastern Task Force they carried two Centaur IV CS 95mm SP gun/howitzers on the platform, plus some other vehicles. In the Western Task Force they carried two M4 or M4A1 tanks on the platform, plus other vehicles.

 

BattleSummary No.38
https://www.forposterityssake.ca/RCN-DOCS/RCND0532.pdf
Link above for the full doc of the below front page.(its big 18Mb) vol 1




and Vol 2

https://www.forposterityssake.ca/RCN-DOCS/RCND0533.pdf