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Surviving WW2 British LCA's?


M.Rimmer

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A couple of years ago ITV showed (IIRC) "Distant Shores" about a doctor who goes to practise on a fictional island off the Northumberland coast (filmed at Craster).

 

The ferry from the mainland was some sort of landing craft which I think was an LCA.

 

Can I claim that as a "Probable"?

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I know a few US LCVP's(aka Higgins boats) have survived but how may British LCAs have survived into preservation?.

 

I have read they were powered by two Ford V8's,is this correct?

 

Yes, they were powered by 2 Ford V8 engines. The last surviving complete LCA I knew about was in the the D-Day musuem at Arromanches. Some years ago they decided it was 'tatty' and destroyed it.

Also the LCA was made of plywood, and was not built to last.

If you look at photos of Weymouth in 1944, you will see the Rangers that took Pont-du-Hoc are being loaded into LCAs on Weymouth harbourside.

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There was an LCI moored up in a corner at St Helier for years. Which I belive was the British nomeclature for the time Landing Craft Infantary the biger one being LCV Landing craft Vehicle.

 

 

Never heard of an LCV, sounds a bit like a foreign bus:???:-D There was a LCVP, Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel.

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This one was to small for a vehilce. As far as I remember the ramp did not go right across the bow. She may have been left over from one of the LSI's used during the Liberation. The types listed are Landing Craft Asualt and Landing Craft Infantary (Large) as the LCI (L) are listed with thier own numbers I take it these are seaworthy enough for passage in thier own right. These are marked as American manufactuer.

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Never heard of an LCV, sounds a bit like a foreign bus:???:-D There was a LCVP, Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel.

 

Perhaps an LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanised)? As rendered by Airfix in 1/76 scale complete with a Sherman. Aah, halcyon days.

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There was an LCV, looked like a cross between the American LCVP and the LCM Mk III (with the little box at the back for the boss to stand in - i'm not too good with Navy nomenclature!)

 

 

I can't find any reference to an LCV, only LCV(p) or LCVP which are one and the same thing, in American parlance a Higgins boat. There were a lot of variations on the original design including the type you mention.

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the usual scources, the usual place, the usual time. LCI (L) 130 at St Heliier harbour and LCA from HMS LSI (S) Princess Josephine-Charlotte.in St Aubins bay. The third one is described as LCV (P) The Landing ship Infantary were described as Heavy or Light. dependent on the type of Davits fitted.

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LCVP=Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel.

 

A few of these seem to have survived,too bad there are no known British LCA's but I'm sure the metalwork must exist somewhere,and probably the Ford V8's which I assume were a specific marine version?

 

Matt.

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Higgins the original designer was quite a carechter. He started by desigining hulls for the Rum Runners during prohibition, using ex Great War aero engines. Then When these proved to fast for the law enforcement authourities to catch, he designed a hull for them. When he designed the 'Higgin's boat', originally with no front ramp, the design specified Honduran Mahogany. The US goverment approved the design and ordered production, then discovered one man had bought all the Honduran Mahogony produced for the last two seasons. :-D

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Higgins had foreseen the war and had bought up a years production of mahogany, when the new material marine ply became available this was used instead of mahogany thus saving on cost and import of raw material.

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