The requirement began with a craft able to put a 12-ton tank across a beach in support of troops seizing an objective. Heavier vehicles were initially expected to need a wharf under friendly control. The Navy anticipated more tank growth than the Army did, drawing an analogy with its own experience of expanding warship size. Ordered under the 1927 estimates and completed by Rowhedge Iron Works in September 1929, the trials boat was initially known as Motor Landing Craft N and became the ancestor of the Landing Craft Mechanised. Its jet propulsion limited maximum speed to about five knots. Repeated construction and testing preserved a capability that could be adapted for wartime needs.
Chapter · 32:46-37:29
A 12-ton tank requirement produced the first LCM prototype
Trials of the 1926 MLC prompted a requirement to land a 12-ton tank across a beach, while heavier vehicles were initially expected to use a wharf.