LCM-8
LCM-8 in March 1972
| |
Class overview | |
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Name | LCM-8 |
In service | 1959 to present |
General characteristics | |
Type | Mechanized landing craft |
Displacement |
|
Length | 73 ft 7⁄12 in (22.265 m) |
Beam | 21 ft 0 in (6.4 m) |
Draft |
|
Propulsion | (original) 4, 2-twin-pak GMC 6-71 or Gray Marine 6-71 diesel paired to 2 hydrostatic transmissions Detroit 12V-71 diesel engines, twin screws |
Speed |
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Capacity | M48 Patton, M60 tank or 200 troops |
Complement | 4–6 |
Armament | 2 × .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns |
The LCM-8 ("Mike Boat") is a
and subsequent operations. They are currently used by governments and private organizations throughout the world. The acronym stands for "Landing Craft Mechanized, Mark 8". (The "Mike Boat" term refers to the military phonetic alphabet, LCM being "Lima Charlie Mike".)The vessel weighs 135,000 pounds (61,200 kg) and has a crew of four: a
Modifications
A modified version, the
A third modification was as a transport for PBRs (patrol boat, river) from repair stations at Da Nang (YR-71) and Tan My (PBR Mobile Base 1) to outlying points at Cua Viet, and the Cua Dai rivers. PBR main propulsion jet pumps were easily damaged by ocean salt water which necessitated the boats being carried by another craft to their duty stations. These transport LCMs were classed as mini-docks and each had a boat ramp in the well deck. The voids (built-in float chambers under the well deck) would be systematically flooded, allowing the front end of the craft to sink, so a PBR could be floated in or out of the well deck. The pumping mechanism would then be reversed to clear the water out of the voids, restoring the craft to the normal floating position.
A fourth modification was the Army Version for Vietnam Rivers Logistic with a liveaboard cabin and crewed by 6 men consisting of Coxswain, Assist. Coxswain, Engineer and assistant and two deckhands. All crew could handle the two 50 Caliber Machine gun turrets and other small arms and were frequently engaged by the Vietcong on the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta. One unit, an Army Reserve Unit out of St. Petersburg, Florida, was called to active duty in 1968-69 received a Unit Commendation of merit for delivering record tonnage in their 12-month tour. [1] 182 Men came back alive.
U.S. usage
They were used by the United States Navy and Army during the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, there were two new aluminum LCM-8s on Johnston Island, which carried trucks and cargo between islands, and one being used as a rescue boat. They had the newer fluid shift transmissions, and 2-671's paired up to two props.
In I Corps (the northernmost military district in Vietnam) boats based at Da Nang, Tan My and Cửa Việt had three man crews of various rates and ranks. On U.S. Navy boats, the senior rate was usually a third-class petty officer or above, and the two crewmen could be E-2, E-3 or E-4 ranks (i.e. seaman apprentice, seaman, or petty officer third class). One of the two crewmen was almost always an Engineman and could be an ENFA, ENFN, or an EN3 in rank. The LCM-8s there all had two sets of the twin 6-71 Detroits paired up to a hydro transmission. Two air compressors, port and starboard of the engine sets, provided air pressure to operate the air cylinders that raised and lowered the bow ramp. The air cylinders were below deck in the eighth void from the bow and stretched cables attached to the ramp to raise it. Lowering the ramp was accomplished by releasing the air and allowing gravity to bring the ramp down.
They also saw use during
Some are currently deployed aboard
Replacement
The U.S. Army plans to replace the LCM-8 with the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) (MSV(L)). Two dozen boats are planned that will be larger and faster, with a longer range and twice the capacity over Mike Boats. The MSV(L) will be roughly 100 feet (30 m) long, with a draft of less than four feet, a speed of 18 knots and the capacity to carry either an
Australian service
The LCM-8 was constructed in
The extension of the wheelhouse increased rigidity of the craft leading to excessive vibration and cavitation with the original three-blade propeller. Further development included a more balanced and expensive five-blade propeller, negating the vibration and cavitation of the original. The prop change found a few negative effects in the beaching performance of the vessel but over time tactics have been changed to suit the new system.
The vessels are also installed with a full suite of electronics allowing the craft to navigate in all weather, day or night in military operations anywhere in the world with little to no special training requirements for an indefinite period.
During the mid-1990s, the Army LCM-8 received a life of type extension with a re-engine program. The original
Two craft were utilized during the
The LCM-8 fleet of fifteen was to be replaced by six Australian designed type
Operators
- Australia – Australian Army
- Cambodia – Khmer National Navy
- France – French Navy (as the Chaland de transport de matériel)
- Kingdom of Laos – Royal Lao Navy
- Spanish Marine Corps
- Vietnam Navy
- Thailand – Royal Thai Navy
- Tonga – Tongan Maritime Force
- Turkey – Turkish Naval Forces
- United States – U.S. Navy; U.S. Army; National Park Service (Channel Islands National Park, Isle Royale National Park)
- India – Indian Navy
- Saint Helena
Notes
- ^ "Tango - Zippo Conversion". Warboats.org. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
The first Zippo boats were ATCs carrying an M132A1 flame-throwing armored personnel carrier
- ^ "Letters". Smithsonian Magazine. February 1999. Archived from the original on 2006-11-29.
Another type of boat carried a flamethrower that could shoot a stream of burning liquid several hundred yards. These boats ... were called "Zippo" boats
- ^ US Army To Choose New Landing Craft Next Year - Defensenews.com, 27 August 2015
- ^ Army awards billion-dollar contract for 100-foot landing ships - Defensenews.com, 29 September 2017
- ^ Williams, Adam (March 2006). "Design and Construction of the Army Watercraft" (PDF). Navy Engineering Bulletin (10). Royal Australian Navy: 56–58. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-02-24. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Toune, Rachel (29 July 2010). "Million dollar craft lay idle". Townsville Bulletin. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012.
- ^ a b Cole, Captain G.S. (2014). "Will JP2048 provide Army with an amphibious capability for independent coastal and riverine operations?" (PDF). Australian Army Transport Journal (46): 83–87. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ISSN 0729-5685. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ "Defence announces amphibious fleet acquisition plan". Australian Defence Magazine. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.