"Looking For Info on LCT(E)" Topic

Dear All,

As a Chief Petty Officer (Engine Room Artificer) in the RN during the latter half of WW2, my father-in-law Harry James spent much of his time working from an LCT(E) – Landing Craft Tank (Engineering).

I'd never heard of these beasts until he told me about them: they were the floating engineering workshop for a Landing Craft Flotilla and were converted from a basic LCT by adding a second deck on top of the maindeck.

According to the appendices of Max Hastings' book 'Overlord', there were six LCT(E)s involved in the operation (one of which was Harry's), so they certainly existed.

However, I've come across a brick wall in trying to find information on them. Can anyone help? I'd like to build a model for Harry, but without even a single decent photo, that's going to be impossible.

Hello,

The LST and Landing Craft Association link might be a place to start.

My dad (volunteered for the Navy in '43) after service in a number of RN ships including a converted banana boat (AA Radar Direction) finished the war in a LST in the Far East.

He was able to get pictures of most of the ships he served on, and was a member of the above association.

I've looked in the work Assualt from the Sea by JD Ladd and that is pretty comprehensive.
There is no exact match to LST(E)

but have found some similar types Landing Craft, Emergency Repair described as "an engineering workshop for vehicles.

you can buy a disk with diagrams of this at this address.
link

more promising listed at this link link

LSE(LC)
landing ship emergency repair (Landing Craft), ex-LST

sounds like a good match? is it possible the code was changed as they did do that during the war….

bottom pic on this link shows one link

[edit]:
arg got my LST and LCTs mixed up. !!!!!

Charon,

Many thanks for that. I did try them a while back (along with Combinedops.org), but didn't get anything useful back, other than a contact from someone whose father had also served on an LCT(E).

Mishima,

LOL! No worries. Thanks for the help. As it happens, I have found them mis-labelled as 'LCE' in naval orders of battle for Normandy, but LCT(E) was definitely the correct designation and is the designation written by Harry on the back of his photo in 1945 (I've mislaid the full LCT number at present, but will get it tomorrow).

Ok, I'll keep digging, there is all sorts of abbreviations all over the internet LCE, LCT(E) etc.
Let us know any more info you can get and hopefully someone can help.

ah, have it
"Repair and Supply Craft:
LCT(E) Landing Craft, Tank (Emergency Repair)"

link

unfortunately the other cd was 9.99, this one is 24.99….!

I've noticed that there was indeed a US Navy LCE, but I can't find the specifics. Maybe the RN LCT(E) is the same thing as a USN LCE?

found this on combined ops.

link

"After I left 318 she was converted to Engineering Repair Craft HMLCT(E) 318 and later still to Maintenance and Repair Craft 1097."

the site has a picture of MRC 1097 taken in 1970 – no idea of what changes there was between LCT(E) and MRC though.

picture

[edit]
also from 6juin1944.com

link

claims to be info on the Landing BARGE, emergency repair, but the ship diagram looks very much like an LCT!

Cheers Mishima!

I missed that reference to LCT 18 being converted to an LCT(E) on the Combined Ops site. There certainly appears to be a lot of superstructure added in that photo.

Re the LBE – that's definitely a barge (note the very curved lines). I've come aross LBEs during my searches.

Mishima,

I missed your earlier post re the CD-ROM! Ah, thanks a lot! I'm sure I can afford that :o)

Mark

no worries. [edit] bear in mind that pic was taken 2 years later after it was converted again….. :)

It is also in the 1985 book Allied landing craft of World War Two By U S Navy Dept, Arthur David Baker on page Page 54. (Search on Google Books) and it shows a part of the page, unfortunately you can't see the whole ship….

link

let us know how you get on, I'm back to modelling a Swift Boat!!!!

R Mark Davies
Any update? Did you find what you need?
all the best – Tim

Hi Tim,

Thanks for asking! I've been up to my proverbials in funerals and a college course this last week, but I'm going to look more into it at the weekend.

Regards,

Mark

I know this is probably ancient history now, but I've found a ref with plan and elevation and details in the following book.
link

I also currently have it out of the library.
If you want a scan or photocopy of the relevant pages email me on tj dot parnell at btopenworld dot com
I can't PM you as you are not a sub member….. Hope this is of help

scan of above pic twitpic.com/1fpm5z

twitpic.com/1fpmbf

Cheers Tim! I haven't had a chance to do any more research on this topic, so this is extremely welcome! I owe you a beer (you going to Bovvy in July?).

No, sorry I'm not, but thanks anyway. I've ordered plans and I'm starting work on a range of landing craft for 15mm including an LCI(S) if you interested.

Definitely! I can use a couple of those. An LCT(A) would also be useful. Do you have any info on LCT(HE) and LCT(CB)? I've never seen a picture of these.

We're planning to do a Walcheren demo game at Bovvy in a couple of years, if you fancy a showcase? For that game I'd also like an LCG(L).

I'll have a dig. If we are talking in a couple of years that could be a possibilty. I'm finding the more I research into this subject, the more fascinating it becomes.

link

that's the extent of the www on LCT(HE) – on the bright side it's based on an LCT5 – one of the items i'd eventually like to take on.