Landing Craft Utility

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Landing Craft Utility (LCU) are used by amphibious forces to transport equipment and troops to the shore. They are capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and troops from amphibious assault ships to beachheads or piers.

1 Class descriptions
2 General characteristics
3 External links

[edit] Class descriptions

The LCU 1610, 1627 and 1646 class vessels are operated by the United States Navy. They are a self-sustaining craft complete with living accommodations and messing facilities for a crew of ten. They have been adapted for many uses including salvage operations, ferry boats for vehicles and passengers, and underwater test platforms. Each LCU is assigned an officer-in-charge who is either a Chief Petty Officer or Petty Officer First Class in the boatswain’s mate rating. These vessels have both bow and stern ramps for onload/offload at either end, and can be linked bow to stern to create a temporary pier-like structure. Its welded steel hull provides high durability with deck loads of 800 pounds per square foot. Arrangement of machinery and equipment has taken into account built-in redundancy in the event of battle damage. The craft features two engine rooms separated by a watertight bulkhead to permit limited operation in the event that one engine room is disabled. An anchor system is installed on the starboard side aft to assist in retracting from the beach. These vessels are normally transported to their areas of operation onboard larger amphibious vessels such as LHDs and LHAs.

The LCU 2000 class vessels are operated by the United States Army. They transport rolling and tracked vehicles, containers, and outsized and general cargo from ships offshore to shore, as well as to areas that cannot be reached by oceangoing vessels (coastal, harbor, and intercoastal waterways). It can be self-deployed or transported aboard a float-on/float-off vessel. It is classed for full ocean service and one-man engine room operations and is built to U.S. Coast Guard standards. The vessel can sustain a crew of 2 warrant officers and 11 enlisted personnel for up to 18 days. This class is also equipped with an aft anchor to assist in retracting from the beach.

The LCU Mk10 class vessels are operated by the Royal Navy. They are intended for use onboard the new assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. These vessels are capable of operating independently for up to 14 days. They are capable of operating world-wide, from Arctic operating areas to tropical operating areas.

[edit] General characteristics

[edit] LCU 1610, 1627 and 1646 classes

LCU-1627 class

Power Plant: 2 × Detroit 12V-71 diesel engines, 2 × shafts, 680 hp sustained, Kort nozzles
Length: 134.9 ft (41.1 m)
Beam: 29 ft (8.8 m)
Displacement: 200 tons (203 metric tons) light; 375 tons (381 metric tons) full load
Deck area: 1,850 ft² (171 m²)
Draft: 3.5 ft (1.1 m) (forward, full Load), 6.8 ft (2.1m) (aft, full Load)
Speed: 11 knots (20.3 km/h)
Range: 1200 miles at 8 knots
Capacity: 170 tons (480 m³)
Military Lift: 125 tons of cargo, trucks, tanks, or 400 marines
Crew: 10
Guns: 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns
Radar: Navigation: LN 66 or SPS-53; I band.

[edit] LCU 2000 class

LCU-2000 class

Length: 174 ft (53 m)
Beam: 42 ft (12.8 m)
Displacement: 575 tons (584 metric tons) light; 1087 tons (1104 metric tons) full load.
Deck area: 2,500 ft² (232 m²) (5 M1 main battle tanks or 12 (24 double-stacked) 20-foot ISO containers.
Payload: 350 short tons (320 t) (15 C-141 loads).
Range: 10,000 nautical miles at 12 knots (light); 6,500 nautical miles at 10 knots (loaded).
Draft: 8 ft (light); 9 ft (loaded).
Beaching draft: 4 ft at the bow.
Carries up to thirty 20-ft containers or twelve 40-ft containers.
Crew: 13
Equipped with latest navigation, communications, and electronic equipment including an automatic pilot and steering system.