The LST Mark II answered the Royal Navy's request for a tank landing vessel able to cross the Atlantic. American designers combined diesel-electric machinery with bow doors, ramps, and a forward vehicle lift. A typical load could include eighteen Churchills, twenty-seven military transports, and eight jeeps, while troop accommodation surrounded the tank deck. Escorts and preparatory firepower protected the approach, and the emptied accommodation formed a buffer around the vehicles by the time the ship neared the beach. Few were hit, so the design proved more survivable than its ten-knot speed and exposed role might suggest. Carrying an LCT(5) on top added complexity of doubtful value.
Chapter · 17:00-20:14
The LST Mark II made ocean-going tank lift practical
American designers combined bow doors, ramps, diesel-electric machinery, and an Atlantic-capable hull in a tank landing ship that proved unexpectedly survivable.