Landing Craft.
Printed From: BMPT Forum
Category: General Discussion
Forum Name: Where Are Those Boats Now
Forum Description: Tell everybody where those old boats are
URL: http://www.bmpt.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=311
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 11:42pm
Topic: Landing Craft.
Posted By: dgray
Subject: Landing Craft.
Date Posted: 02 April 2007 at 9:27pm
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Do any small non LCT (tank) landing craft from ww2 survive in the UK? (Any abandoned ones around)? Cheers ------------- Don Only a number, not even a name. How shall posterity hear of thy fame? |
Replies:
Posted By: burgundyben
Date Posted: 03 April 2007 at 8:11am
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There is a landing craft at Swannick on the river Hamble, on the shore opposite the Whaleback houseboat, I'm not sure if its WW2, I think it might be. Its in quite a state. ------------- Napier Lion engine wanted. |
dgray wrote:Posted By: Alex
Date Posted: 03 April 2007 at 9:49am
| There was a small one for sale on MILWEB a month or two back. Restored and running based in The Bristol area I think. I've seen pictures of it carrying a jeep and a few men. Try looking on the national historic ships register, I think I've seen it mentioned there too. The price didn't seem all that high, about ten thousand pounds from memory but you'd have to really want one! Alex. |
Posted By: dgray
Date Posted: 03 April 2007 at 10:07am
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Thanks Alex. I was just wondering about one as you never see them. lol about really wanting one! You'd have to live on an island somewhere. Isle of Wight anyone? Anyone know of any pictures of current ones? Cheers ------------- Don Only a number, not even a name. How shall posterity hear of thy fame? |
Posted By: Alex
Date Posted: 03 April 2007 at 10:14am
| I do know a chap who a number of years ago contracted that sinking feeling whilst driving an Alvis Stalwart across the solent and got in to all kinds of trouble for landing in a hurry on the queen's private beach at Osbourn house! He was dining out on that one, on and off for some months.... |
Posted By: Danny
Date Posted: 04 April 2007 at 1:16pm
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Hello, Here are a couple of photos of the Landing Craft Assault that is located near Bursledon on the river Hamble. These were taken a few ago now so I imagine that its in pretty poor state now. There were also a few other bits of LCA’s on show when there was a low tide. Do not know if these were all cleared up when the LCI(s) there was broken up. There are a few other LCA’s around. Bembridge and Shoreham have a couple of LCA in use as houseboats. Believe the one near Swanwick on river Hamble is an LCT Mk 7. Can dig out some photos of these if you would like to see them. Regards
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Posted By: northeastuser
Date Posted: 04 April 2007 at 2:33pm
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I would be intrested in seeing the mk7 LCT.Can you poste some pics please? ------------- |
Posted By: Danny
Date Posted: 04 April 2007 at 4:18pm
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Jumped the gun with the landing craft mark at Swanwick. Should have put LCM 7 not LCT 7. Have attached a couple of photos. One mine and the aerial photo is from http://local.live.com/ - http://local.live.com/ . The local.live.com photo is a better quality if you visit the website. I had to reduce the size of it to post it here. Regards
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Hi,
Posted By: burgundyben
Date Posted: 04 April 2007 at 10:39pm
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I dont know how up to date live.local is, but I can confirm its still there complete with yellow digger! Its quite visible from the M27.
------------- Napier Lion engine wanted. |
Posted By: dgray
Date Posted: 04 April 2007 at 10:58pm
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Thanks for all the replies. I presumed that, landing on enemy beaches and all, that they'd be build of steel. Perhaps the US LC's were steel. Are there any photos of this type in service. It's hard to visualise this boat as a military craft. Thanks again ------------- Don Only a number, not even a name. How shall posterity hear of thy fame? |
Posted By: Danny
Date Posted: 05 April 2007 at 10:47am
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Hello, A couple of shots showing the armour on the LCA. It only really covered the troop compartment. There were also armoured doors between the ramp and the troop compartment. The US “Higgins” boat was an all timber construction craft and had no armour. I do not have any photos handy of them in action at the moment but if you go to he Imperial War Museum website, http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/qryPhotoImg.asp - http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/qryPhotoImg.asp , you can search their online catalogue of photos and this throws up a range of photos showing the LCA and other landing craft in use. Thanks for letting me know that the LCM is still there. I’ll have to try and get down there to take some photos of it. I think the local.live.com photos are a bit more up to date than some of the Google Earth shots. Just a pity they don’t cover a bit more of the country as their “birds eye view” is pretty good for spotting different craft. Regards
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Posted By: Alex
Date Posted: 05 April 2007 at 10:54am
| Hi all, Danny, you just jogged my memory a bit. The L.C. that was for sale a short while ago in Bristol was a Higgins boat. Still trying to find the Photo. Alex. |
Posted By: Garethep
Date Posted: 05 April 2007 at 4:40pm
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Hi all, I will be in Birsledon over the weekend and will try to post some pictures. The local.live photo is at least one possibly 2 years old but is still very good. Thanks for pointing that out it's a very usefull tool! Cheers Gareth |
Posted By: dgray
Date Posted: 05 April 2007 at 10:07pm
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Hi Danny, Thanks for the photos. Where is/was the boat in the photos? I'd like to find one in that condition to add to my collection of long awaiting 'to do' projects. I think that if a D-Day/WW2 LCA survivor is found, it should be saved (if at all practical). I don't think many people know of their existance or the few survivors left. Thanks again ------------- Don Only a number, not even a name. How shall posterity hear of thy fame? |
Posted By: Danny
Date Posted: 05 April 2007 at 11:57pm
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Hello, The LCA was outside the museum at Arromanches. It was broken up around 1993/94. Supposedly the upkeep was too expensive. There was another LCA at the Utah Beach museum but I am not sure if it is still there. All the recent photos I have seen show a “Higgins” boat in the position the LCA used to be in. I don’t know if the LCA was broken up or moved. I did read that both were “D Day” veterans. As far as I know there are no wartime LCA’s in any museum in the UK. The D Day museum in Portsmouth has a “Higgins” boat on display and the IWM at Duxford has a mock up of a section of an LCA. Would be great if one could be put on display but I am not sure what is left under the woodwork of the survivors being used as houseboats. The attached photos shows part of what was buried in the mud at Warsash. Not sure what’s left now. There was a post war version for sale on eBay recently. It was not sold. Link is below if you want to have a look at it. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&a mp;sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=150103 754037&rd=1&rd=1 Would be interesting to see the photo of the “Higgins” boat that was for sale if you can find it. Regards
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Posted By: Christian
Date Posted: 06 April 2007 at 11:23am
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Might some of these be of any interest?
http://www.worldofstock.com/closeups/PHI1910.php - http://www.worldofstock.com/closeups/PHI1910.php
http://www.worldofstock.com/closeups/PHI1846.php?res=4 - http://www.worldofstock.com/closeups/PHI1846.php?res=4
http://www.billcotter.com/places/normandy.htm - http://www.billcotter.com/places/normandy.htm
http://roselli.org/tour/06_2001/161.html - http://roselli.org/tour/06_2001/161.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/topics/war/requiem2.shtml - http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/topics /war/requiem2.shtml
https://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/425/41618/ - https://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/425/41618/
http://www.rogerbell.org/Travel%20Photos-New%20Orleans.htm - http://www.rogerbell.org/Travel%20Photos-New%20Orleans.htm
Regards, Christian
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Posted By: dgray
Date Posted: 06 April 2007 at 3:21pm
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Great info guys, thanks. I suppose that there is none around the UK that could be saved. Shame really. Still, I guess they were only designed to last a few years. ------------- Don Only a number, not even a name. How shall posterity hear of thy fame? |
Posted By: dgray
Date Posted: 06 April 2007 at 9:07pm
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Is the boat at Swannick fairly complete? Any idea of the length of one of these LCA's? Cheers ------------- Don Only a number, not even a name. How shall posterity hear of thy fame? |
Posted By: David Earle-Pay
Date Posted: 15 April 2007 at 12:03am
 The LCA at Swanick / Bursledon is owned by the Riverside Boatyard, who used to use it with the excavator as seen in the photos previously. To the best of my knowledge it has not moved in the last 12 months.
------------- David Earle-Payne Make it idiot proof, and then someone will make a better idiot! |
Posted By: David Earle-Pay
Date Posted: 15 April 2007 at 12:14am
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More Pics!
------------- David Earle-Payne Make it idiot proof, and then someone will make a better idiot! |
Posted By: Christian
Date Posted: 19 April 2007 at 10:45pm
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Hi Danny and Alex The elusive Higgins boat;
Unique opportunity to buy a Higgins Boat |
Posted By: Alex
Date Posted: 20 April 2007 at 8:00am
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Hi Christian,
Thanks for that. I was begining to question my memory. I knew I'd seen it, but I couldn't find the ad anywhere. It looks like a whole lot of fun. A |
Posted By: johnk
Date Posted: 20 April 2007 at 9:25am
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Hi All,
Indeed, looks great, I do hope she finds a good home and keeps going!,
John |
Posted By: DMSmith
Date Posted: 07 May 2007 at 10:07pm
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Hello All Just heard a fascinating tale, could be tall so I'll need to check it out. Apparently there is a Wartime landing craft on the Thames at Reading. Well hidden on private mooring. Chap who saw it said it had Soldier's writing on it inside. Has anyone heard of this one? Or have I now got one leg longer than the other?
------------- Dave |
Posted By: marksaab
Date Posted: 08 May 2007 at 12:00am
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Hi The Milweb link needs shortening to http://www.milweb.net then follow the various links...one interesting one and sort of Military Powerboat orientated is this http://www.milweb.net/webverts/23880/ Bit pricey but good fun! Mark ------------- Only yield when you must, never "give up the ship," but fight on to the last "with a stiff upper lip!" |
Posted By: Navy Graphics
Date Posted: 28 February 2014 at 2:21pm
She's gone now, just some bits and bobs when I visited the site on the 27 Feb 2014   Shame, there are none left now. If you have any more photographs, especially of inside the boat you took back in 2007, I'd be hugely interested. Andy
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Posted By: kevan551
Date Posted: 04 September 2014 at 9:37am
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Hello, I'm a latecomer to this forum. My father-in-law was a Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve officer in a flotilla of LCAs in WWII, landing American troops on Omaha Beach. I've been interested in the design and construction of LCAs for some time and have also tried to track down remaining LCAs. The 2 LCAs at Utah and Arromanches museums were taken down around the time of Saving Private Ryan. The LCA at Utah was destroyed and buried in the sand somewhere nearby, now lost. See the following BBC link. My father-in-law is Jimmy Green who is referred to and speaks on the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/299784.stm" rel="nofollow - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/299784.stm I have many photos and 2 books about LCAs, including a 1990's photo of 2 LCA veterans with the LCA at Arromanches:  ------------- Dr Bean |
Posted By: kevan551
Date Posted: 04 September 2014 at 9:40am
...and phtos of the LCA then LCVP at Utah Beach Museum: Very happy to discuss LCAs and seek out remnants. ------------- Dr Bean |
Posted By: Navy Graphics
Date Posted: 04 September 2014 at 11:40am
Here's one I drew earlier |
Posted By: Navy Graphics
Date Posted: 04 September 2014 at 11:41am
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If anyone needs the high resolution version, feel free to contact me at Navy News. |
Posted By: kevan551
Date Posted: 04 September 2014 at 7:12pm
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Hi, Looks great. One small detail in that there were three parallel rows of benches with the troops sitting astride of them. ------------- Dr Bean |
Posted By: kevan551
Date Posted: 04 September 2014 at 7:14pm
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Or maybe you are right with the two on the outside, with the troops sitting astride of the centre bench. ------------- Dr Bean |
Posted By: kevan551
Date Posted: 04 September 2014 at 7:18pm
 Troops sitting astride of three rows of benches.
------------- Dr Bean |
Posted By: kevan551
Date Posted: 04 September 2014 at 7:24pm
 Or the way US Rangers sat in the boat
------------- Dr Bean |