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Landing Craft Infantry (Large) (LCI(L))

1943 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2

History

The experience of the "Dunkirk Evacuation" in 1940, where thousands were spared capture or death at the hands of advancing Germans, prompted the British to adopt a more streamlined "ship-to-shore" process to find . Backed by U.S. factories, this effort culminated in a large number of amphibious assault support ships, including "Landing Tanks" (LSTs) used to transport armor from bases to shore and "Landing Infantry Ships" ( LSI) - for the same purpose, but to transport infantry personnel directly to the coastline. Like the LST, the LSI family eventually included variants of the basic ship concept that, collectively, were extremely important to Allied operations from 1943 onwards.

During the war, American factories pumped out hundreds of British warships and amphibious assault craft. Participants include Brown Shipbuilding, Commercial Steel Works, Consolidated Steel, Defoe Shipbuilding, Commonwealth Shipbuilding and Drydock, New Jersey Shipbuilding and New York Shipbuilding, among others.

Operators outside the US and UK include Canada, France (Free French Forces), the ROC Navy and the Soviet Union (through Lend-Lease). A total of 923 copies were delivered from 1942 to the end of the war in 1945, mostly in service from 1943 to 1946.

The original ship design was intended as a "disposable" battlefield system, transporting troops across the English Channel and bringing them to waiting beaches. From then on, the ships will be abandoned, likely to be sent to a scrapyard.

So there was little consolation for convicted infantrymen - simple benches were added as seats during the journey. All told, the cargo bay will carry around 180 combat-ready men over a two-day trip a total that eventually increased to 210 before the war ended.

The resulting 246-ton steel shell design includes two sets of Detroit Diesel 6051 "four-cylinder" series engines producing 1,600 hp on 2 axles - these are essentially eight General Motors truck diesel engines designed to use Existing powerplant to achieve maximum performance system. This allows the relatively fast boat to travel to 4,000 nautical miles at nearly 16 knots. Dimensions include a length of 158.5 feet, a beam of 23.2 feet and a draft of 6 feet. The shallow draft is notable because the vessel is designed to have deep water capability when crossing fairways and then manage shallower water sources closer to shore. The operator consisted of 24 people and the armament consisted of 4 x 20mm Oerlikon guns (sometimes 5) for local anti-aircraft protection.

Early forms of ships forced troops to disembark via walkways and ramps, while later versions (LCI(L)-351 onwards) added a bow door and ramp combination, which proved equally effective on LST models for unloading vehicles.

These ships were officially designated "Landing Craft Infantry (Large)" (LCI(L)) and provided more passenger capacity than the British Landing Craft Assault (LCA) ships in use at the time. Three basic concept versions were delivered - one with a corner turret, another with a round turret design and side mounted ramps, and a third with a round turret and bow mounted ramps.

Its variants also include: LC (FF) Fleet Flagship, designed to carry flag officers, staff and crew; LCI(G) Gunboat, with 3 x 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, up to 6 x .50 caliber heavy Machine guns and 10 x Mk-7 rocket launchers to support long-range amphibious operations; LCI(M) mortars as mortar carriers with 3 x 4.2" M2 mortars for ship-to-shore bombing; LCI(R) ) rockets have a similar scope but carry a 6 x 5 inch rocket launcher.

LCI(S) is a UK-produced, built-to-locally-manufactured development - known as the "Landing Craft Infantry (Small)" - based on Fairmile wooden construction and Hall-Scott petrol engines. The LCS(L) was also built locally in the UK as a support ship for increased armament, but only ten were built.

The LCS(L) Mk III / LSSL was a US-built Landing Craft Support (Large) model as an artillery platform - 130 of this form appeared before the end of the war.

LCI(L) ships were first used during the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and they were so valuable that they spearheaded all future amphibious assault operations for the remainder of the war. The ships were used in the famous D-Day landings in Normandy the following year (June 1944), with the British sending 130 of them, while the Americans brought 118 in the beach raids. At least thirty were built for the Soviet Union and eight were delivered to the Free French Army.

The importance of these DropShips in warfare cannot be overlooked - they served in all major theaters and proved so important in the reconquest of North Africa, Europe and the Pacific that in many ways they were considered real movers and firsts WWII Shocker - as valuable as any aircraft, tank or gun used in the conflict.