Last D-day landing craft tank restored, moved to museum
Picture is LCT 7074, one of more than 800 ships built for the Invasion of Normandy. This particular boat carried 10 tanks and their soldiers to Gold Beach at 0200 on 7 June, 1944 (H-hour+19:30), then returned with a load of prisoners of war. She survived German shelling that sank a sister ship beside her as they approached the beach.
For a time it was a floating nightclub before sinking in shallow water. Then work began to raise her and restore her to her wartime condition as a museum piece. 7074 is the last of her type in existence.
LCT 7074 was renovated with a National Heritage Lottery fund £4.7m grant ahead of its permanent display at the D-Day Story museum in Southsea.
It had been due to be delivered on the 76th anniversary of D-Day in June but this was delayed due to coronavirus.
The craft has travelled from Portsmouth Naval Base to Southsea ahead of being installed at the museum.
Source; BBC
Category: Historical, War Stories, We Remember
Wonder if Papa and his Battery Brothers of C Btry 741st FA landed in Normandy in that one or one like it. There’s a picture I saw on the inherwebz of the 8″ towed gun and its prime mover offloading there. There wasn’t that many of the 8″ batteries.
Cool beaners that they saved this one and it will be on display there. People forget that it was the Americans that won WWII in the main. Yes we had some help, but if it had not of been for the Americans, the rest of the world would be speaking either, German, Russian, or Japanese now.
Western front and Pacific, maybe… Eastern Front not so much.
True to an extent, except for all the tanks, planes, food, ammo, guns, etc, that the Brits and the US sent the Soviets so they had something to fight with.
Trucks.
We gave them the trucks they needed to logistically support their advances.
One of the reasons Eisenhower credited the deuce-and-a-half with being the war winner.
This is great. Made one of you Navy types will finally tell me the difference in these crafts. For troops, tanks, jeeps, etc. Thank you.
Here’s a good start…
https://www.strijdbewijs.nl/landing/landeng2.htm
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/lc.htm
And now younger generations will not have to imagine or go on a ‘virtual visit’. Bravo Zulu!!
True, though the antifa / BLM pukes will probably want to destroy it for ….. reasons..