Landing Craft Mechanized

Variants

There was no single design of LCM used, unlike the landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) or landing craft assault (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.

The British motor landing craft was conceived and tested in the 1920s and was used from 1924 in exercises. It was the first purpose built tank landing craft. It was the progenitor of all subsequent LCM designs.

LCM (1)

The landing craft, mechanised 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 LCM Mark I was used during the Allied landings in Norway, and at Dieppe 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 in. Lewis guns

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

The first American LCM design, from the US Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair. Approximately 150 were built by American Car & Foundry and Higgins Industries.

LCM (3)

There were two designs:

Bureau

Capable of carrying 120,000 lb (54,000 kg) of cargo

Higgins

In appearance very similar to the LCVP which Higgins Industries also constructed, with a 10-foot (3.0 m) wide load area at the front and a small armoured (1/4 inch steel) wheelhouse on the aft decking over the engine room. A Higgins LCM-3 is on display at the Battleship Cove maritime museum in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Displacement: 52 tons (loaded); 23 tons (empty)

Length: 50 feet (15 m)

Beam: 14 feet (4.3 m)

Draft: 3 feet (0.91 m) (forward); 4 feet (1.2 m) (aft)

Speed: 8 knots (9.2 mph) (loaded); 11 knots (13 mph) (empty)

Armament: two .50-cal M2 Browning machine guns

Crew: 4

Capacity: One 30-ton tank (e.g. M4 Sherman), 60 troops, or 60,000 lb (27,000 kg) of cargo

LCM (4)

In the years 1943 and 1944, seventy-seven LCM(4)s were built. Outwardly, the LCM(4) was almost completely identical to a late model LCM(1) - the difference lay inside the pontoon. Here special bilge pumps and special ballast tanks allowed the LCM(4) to alter trim to increase stability when partially loaded.

LCM (5)

British model of LCM

LCM (6)

An LCM (3) extended by 6 feet (1.8 m) amidships. Many were later adapted as armoured troop carriers (ATCs or "Tangos") for the Mobile Riverine Force in the Vietnam War; others became "Zippos" with flamethrowers, "Monitors" with 105mm guns or "Charlie" command variants.

Power plant:

2 Detroit 6-71 diesel engines; 348 hp (260 kW) sustained; twin shaft; or

2 Detroit 8V-71 diesel engines; 460 hp (340 kW) 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 knots (10.3 mph, 16.6 km/h)

Range:130 miles (240 km) at 9 knots (17 km/h)

Military lift: 34 tons (34.6 metric tons) or 80 troops

Crew: 5

LCM (7)

British model of LCM

LCM (8)

General characteristics, LCM 8 Type

Power plant: four 6-71 six-cylinder diesels, two hydraulic transmissions, two propeller shafts. (Lighterage Division, NSA Danang 1969-1970) crew of 3: coxswain, bowhook, and engineer (aka "snipe")

Power plant: 2 Detroit 12V-71 diesel engines; 680 hp (510 kW) 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 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

Operators

 Turkey - Turkish Naval Forces

 United States - U.S. Army 7TH Transportation Brigade Expeditionary

 South Vietnam - Republic of Vietnam Navy

 Khmer Republic - Khmer National Navy

 Thailand - Royal Thai Navy

 Australia - Royal Australian Navy

 Australia - Australian Army

 Spain - Spanish Navy

 New Zealand - Royal New Zealand Navy

 Egypt - Egyptian Navy