The Landing Craft Utility (LCU) is a type of boat 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.
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LCU-1627 |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCU 1610, 1627 and 1646 classes |
| Operators: | United States Navy |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 200 long tons (203 t) light 375 long tons (381 t) full load |
| Length: | 134 ft 11 in (41.12 m) |
| Beam: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Draft: | 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) forward, full load 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) aft, full load |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Detroit 12V-71 diesel engines 2 × shafts 680 hp (507 kW) sustained Kort nozzles |
| Speed: | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Range: | 1,200 nmi (2,200 km) at 8 kn (15 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 125 tons of cargo, trucks, tanks, or 400 marines |
| Complement: | 10 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
LN 66 or SPS-53 I band navigation radar |
| Armament: | 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns |
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 fourteen. 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 (Craft Master) who is either a Chief Petty Officer or Petty Officer First Class in the Boatswain’s Mate, Quartermaster or Operations Specialist rating. These vessels have bow ramps for onload/offload, and can be linked bow to stern gate 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.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCU 2000 class |
| Operators: | United States Army |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 575 long tons (584 t) light 1,087 long tons (1,104 t) full load |
| Length: | 174 ft (53 m) |
| Beam: | 42 ft (13 m) |
| Draft: | 9 ft (2.7 m) light 8 ft (2.4 m) loaded 4 ft (1.2 m) beaching draft at the bow |
| Range: | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h) light 6,500 nmi (12,000 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h) loaded |
| Capacity: | 350 short tons (318 t) (15 C-141 loads) 3 × M1 main battle tanks or 12 × (24 double-stacked) 20-foot (6 m) ISO containers |
| Complement: | 13 |
The Runnymede class large landing craft or LCU 2000 class vessels are operated by the United States Army.[1][2] 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, and 10,000 miles. This class is also equipped with an aft anchor to assist in retracting from the beach.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCU Mk.10 |
| Operators: | Royal Navy |
| Preceded by: | LCU Mk.9 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Ro-Ro landing craft |
| Displacement: | 236 long tons (240 t) |
| Length: | 97 ft 7 in (29.74 m) |
| Beam: | 24 ft 3 in (7.39 m) |
| Draught: | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × diesel engines |
| Speed: | 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) |
| Capacity: | 1 main battle tank, 4 large vehicles, or 120 troops |
The LCU Mk.9 was built for use on the LPDs Fearless and Intrepid where they were operated from the dock in the rear of the ships. Each ship carried four LCUs and four davit mounted LCVPs. The Mk.9 was to see many changes and upgrades during its service including a move from propeller to jet in many cases. The main training centre for the craft would be Poole in Dorset where the Royal Marines would be trained to handle and crew the landing craft. The Mk.9 was capable of traveling as an ocean-going vessel and a number would be converted into a version, affectionately known as the "Black Pig", for use in Norway. The crew had full living quarters aboard with galley and heads. The opinion that the successful British amphibious operations during the Falklands War were only possible because of the two LPDs and their landing craft is well documented. The Mk.9, like the LPDs, served longer than ever anticipated, providing the backbone of Britain's amphibious assault capabilities. The Falklands War proved the need for the continued role for seaborne assault.
The LCU Mk.10 class vessels are operated by the Royal Marines. They are intended for use onboard the new assault ships Albion and Bulwark and can use the Bay class landing ships. Both Albion and Bulwark are capable of carrying 4 LCU's. These vessels are capable of operating independently for up to 14 days with a range of 600 nautical miles. They are capable of operating world-wide, from Arctic operating areas to tropical operating areas. The Mk.10 differs greatly from the Mk.9 with the bridge being set to the side allowing for a roll-on roll-off design. This greatly increases efficiency over the old Mk.9 as loading of the rear LCUs can take place without the LCUs being launched, the LPD having to dock down to do so, to change over and load up, which was a problem prior to the Falklands landings. The LCU Mk10 has a 7 man crew and can carry up to 120 Marines or alternatively 1 battle tank or 4 lorries.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | LCU Mk.II (NL) class |
| Operators: | Royal Netherlands Navy |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 255 tonnes (251 long tons) |
| Length: | 36.3 m (119 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 6.85 m (22 ft 6 in) |
| Draft: | .85 m (2 ft 9 in) forward, full load 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) aft, full load |
| Capacity: | 65 tonnes (64 long tons) |
| Complement: | 7 |
| Armament: | 2 × Browning .50 calibre (12.7 mm) machine guns |
With the launch of the amphibious transport ship HNLMS Rotterdam in 1998 there was a need for LCUs. The Dutch LCUs are similar to the British LCU Mk.10 with the bridge being set to one side allowing for a roll-on roll-off design. Until 2005 the Netherlands Marine Corps used the LCU Mark I (NL).
In 2005 and 2006 the five vessels were modernized to the type Mark II. The vessels have been stretched by 9 meters to decrease their draft, which increased their load carrying capacity by 20 tons and allows them to come closer to shore. In addition they were fitted with a strengthened bow ramp, and they can now accommodate the Royal Netherlands Army Leopard 2A6 main battle tank. Because of the lengthening of the Mark II, the Rotterdam can only take two LCU (plus three LCVPs) in its dock. The dock of Rotterdam's sister ship, Johan de Witt, has only enough capacity to transport two LCU, but carries four LCVPs in davits.