Landing Craft Gun

Landing Craft Gun (Large) 680
Class overview
Name	Landing Craft Gun
Builders	John I. Thornycroft Ltd.
Operators	Royal Navy
General characteristics LCG(L) Mark 3
Type	Landing craft support
Displacement	500 long tons (508 t)
Length	192 ft (59 m)
Beam	31 ft (9.4 m)
Draught	3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) forward, 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) aft
Propulsion	2 x Paxman 500 hp. Diesels, twin screws.
Speed	10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) maximum
Range	2,700 miles at 9 knots
Crew	15 (2 officers, 13 sailors) + 23 (1 officer, 2 NCOs, 20 marines for gun crew)
Armament	2 x 4.7-inch QF Naval guns 2 x 20-mm or 2 x QF 2-pdr "pom-pom"s.
Armour	25-lb. DIHT plating for gun deck sides, blast screens, and sides of magazines

Landing Craft Gun (LCG) was a landing craft used extensively in World War II, present for both the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune), on D Day and also the invasion of Allied invasion of Sicily-Salerno-Anzio.^[1] Its primary purpose was to provide direct fire against beach positions and surface attack for first-echelon landing waves. The LCG was then typically beached to become a stationary gun platform. The craft was developed from the Landing Craft Tank (LCT) vessel, derived from a prototype designed by John Thornycroft Ltd. of Woolston, Hampshire, in the UK.

In addition to the 20mm Oerlikon armament of a normal LCT, each LCG (Medium) had two British Army 25-pounder gun-howitzers in armoured mountings, while both LCG(L) 3 and LCG(L) had two BL 4.7-inch (120 mm) naval guns^[2]

The operation of the craft was the responsibility of Royal Navy crew and the guns were operated by Royal Marines.

During the war, the craft was manufactured throughout the United Kingdom in places as various as small boatyards and furniture manufacturers.

LCGs played a very important part in the Walcheren operations in October 1944.

Variants[]

• LCG (Medium) - 270 tons light, 2x 25-pdr gun-howitzers or 17-pdr anti-tank guns
• LCG(L) Mark 3 - 500 tons loaded, 2x 4.7 inch guns
• LCG(L) Mark 4 - 500 tons loaded, 2x 4.7 inch guns

References[]

• ONI 226, Allied Landing Craft and Ships, April 1944 (PDF), US Navy – via Hyperwar Foundation