For the United States, the fleet has always been of great importance, since the country has successfully fenced off from the rest of the world by two oceans. During the Second World War, the United States created a whole series of good landing craft, which were widely used in various theaters of war: both in Europe and the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the easily recognizable LCVP landing craft, also known as the Higgins boats, the larger LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanized) landing craft was built in a large series in the United States. Such boats could deliver ashore not only infantry, military equipment and various weapons, but also tanks.
LCM landing craft have British roots
The LCM landing craft appeared thanks to the British, who thought about creating a relatively large landing craft immediately after the end of the First World War. In many ways, work on the creation of a new landing ship was directly related to the appearance on the battlefield of tanks, which were very problematic to deliver to the landing site. If the fleet could still cope with the task of landing infantry on the coast, then to transport heavy equipment and tanks, a landing craft of a special design with a ramp was needed, which would facilitate the process of loading / unloading military equipment. During the Second World War, the need to support the landing with armored vehicles became even more obvious, so work on the creation of tank landing vehicles was accelerated.
The first landing craft with a ramp was ready in Great Britain in the early 1920s and since 1924 has taken part in various exercises, becoming the first landing craft built capable of delivering a tank to the landing zone. Later, with minor changes that did not affect the concept itself, this boat turned into LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanized). Their serial production in Great Britain was launched after the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. The name was decoded as follows: Landing Craft - landing craft, Mechanized - for transporting equipment. The Thornycroft company was engaged in the design of such vessels in Great Britain. The LCM landing craft made its debut during the Norwegian campaign and was used to land the Allies in Narvik.
The capabilities of the LCM-1 were enough to transport light French Hotchkiss H-39 tanks with a combat weight of 12 tons, which were delivered to Norway. With a length of just under 15 meters, these landing craft had a carrying capacity of up to 16 tons. They were driven by a power plant consisting of two gasoline engines, the maximum speed did not exceed 6 knots (11 km / h). At the same time, in some places the design of the landing craft was reinforced with armor plates, and the LCM-1 also had weapons - two light 7, 7-mm Lewis machine guns.
The LCM-1 boats had a layout typical for all subsequent vessels of the series. Outwardly, they were pontoon boats with a length of just under 15 meters. The entire bow and middle part of the landing craft was occupied by a cargo hold open from above, where the landing force, equipment, cargo and other military equipment were located. The engine compartment was located in the stern, above which the wheelhouse was installed, which could be protected by armor. Over time, the size of these ships only grew, but the first British models had a displacement of up to 36 tons and could deliver 60 landing people or a tank if its combat weight did not exceed 16 tons.
Landing craft for the Sherman tank: LCM-3 and LCM-6
For the transport of medium tanks during the Second World War, the British LCM were no longer suitable. At the same time, they drew attention to such landing boats in the United States, where they were able to build up their "muscles", as well as to establish a full-fledged large-scale production, releasing thousands of landing boats. Initially, the Americans produced an almost exact copy of the British LCM-1, but with their own power plant. These boats, designated LCM-2, made their debut in August 1942 during the Battle of Guadalcanal. They were well suited for landing infantry and artillery pieces, but could not carry modern medium tanks.
Therefore, the American industry quickly mastered the production of the LCM-3 landing craft. The boat was distinguished by its increased dimensions, its total displacement was already 52 tons (loaded), and the carrying capacity increased to 30 tons, which made it possible to transport one medium tank, up to 60 soldiers or 27 tons of various cargo. A distinctive feature of these boats is a mechanized ramp. At the same time, the LCM-3 received two diesel engines with a capacity of 225 hp. each Gray Marine powered two propellers. The speed of the landing craft also increased - to about 8.5 knots (16 km / h) when loaded. At the same time, 400 gallons of fuel was enough to cover 125 miles, but naturally, the vessel was not designed for such crossings, including due to lack of seaworthiness. It was impossible to use such amphibious means when the sea was rough. From 1942 to 1945 alone, more than 8,000 such landing craft were built in the United States.
The next milestone in the development of the LCM project was the American model LCM-6, which was also quite massive. The volume of the issue was more than 2, 5 thousand units. It was the LCM-6 that became the most advanced US tank landing boat during the Second World War. From its predecessor, it again differed in increased size and slightly modified body. The main difference was in the insert, two meters long, which brought the length of the hull to 17 meters, the width of the hull was - 4.3 meters. At the same time, the carrying capacity increased to 34 tons, which made it possible to take on board all models of Sherman medium tanks, or up to 80 infantrymen.
The new landing craft was powered by two powerful Detroit 8V-71 diesel engines developing a maximum power of 304 hp. each. The speed of the boats with full load was 9 knots (16.6 km / h). One of the main differences was the increase in the depth of the side, which made it possible to increase the seaworthiness of the boat. The full displacement of the boat in a loaded state has grown to 64 tons. At the same time, the range of use remained practically the same - 130 miles.
The American industry began the massive construction of such amphibious assault vehicles in 1943, while LCM-6s were widely used in all theaters of war: both in Europe and in the Pacific. They took part in all the landing operations of the final period of the Second World War. After the end of World War II, the LCM-6 was again used. A large number of landing pontoons were converted into armored boats and the semblance of floating armored personnel carriers, which were used by the American military on the rivers of Vietnam, including the Mekong River and its many tributaries.
Landing craft for main battle tanks LCM-8
The situation with amphibious assault vehicles changed again after World War II. At the same time, the vector of development of the ships was the same - the creation of ever larger landing craft suitable for new military equipment. So designed and built to replace the LCM-6, the LCM-8 landing craft surpassed their predecessors in most of the main parameters. First of all, they had a large displacement, better carrying capacity and increased travel speed. At the same time, the LCM-8 could also take on board the main battle tanks, for example, the M60 tank, various varieties of which are still in service with some armies of the world.
The dimensions of the landing craft have grown even more. Length - up to 22, 26 meters, width - up to 6, 4 meters, full displacement (loaded) - up to 111 tons. At the same time, the maximum carrying capacity increased to 54.5 tons, which made it possible to transport post-war tanks on board the LCM-8 - the M48 Patton III medium tank and the M60 main battle tank. Also, in one voyage, such a landing boat could deliver ashore up to 200 servicemen with all weapons and uniforms.
Usually the crew consisted of 4 people, but during the daily missions it increased to 6 people: two machinists, two helmsmen and two sailors. Like the LCM-6, these boats were used on Vietnamese rivers with a crew of 6 people and the placement of various small arms on board. The armament of two large-caliber 12.7 mm M2 machine guns was considered standard, which could be supplemented. Due to the installation of two powerful 12-cylinder diesel engines Detroit Diesel 12V71, the total power of the power plant increased to 912 hp. Due to this, the speed has also increased. Without cargo on board LCM-8 developed a speed of 12 knots (22 km / h), with cargo - 9 knots (17 km / h).
The LCM-8 entered service in 1959, and in the Navy the model replaced the LCM-3 and LCM-6 landing craft. For the first time, the LCM-8 landing craft were massively used during the Vietnam War and continue to remain in service today. In addition to the armies of many countries, they are used by public and private companies around the world, including in humanitarian operations. In the near future, the US military plans to replace the LCM-8 boats with more advanced MSL (V), capable of delivering the Abrams main battle tank or up to two Stryker wheeled armored personnel carriers ashore.
