A 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.
5 in service, 1 on order
1 in service[2]
2 in service[3]
The Engin de débarquement amphibie rapide (EDA-R) landing catamaran or L-CAT, entered service in January 2011. They can carry a main battle tank like other European LCUs but are capable of much higher speeds, up to .
With the launch of the amphibious transport ship 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 2 A6 main battle tank.Because of the lengthening of the Mark II, the Rotterdam can take two LCUs (plus three LCVPs) in its dock. The dock of Rotterdams sister ship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, has the capacity to transport two LCUs, but carries four LCVPs in davits.
HSwMS Loke (A344) is a larger vessel with a displacement of 305 tonnes, capable of carrying 150 tonnes. The ship has a crew of 7 and is armed with two 7.62 mm machine guns.
The Armada has 26 LCM-1E in service since 2001 and has been exported to Australia and Turkey.
The LCU Mk.9 was built for use on the LPDs and where they were operated from the dock in the rear of the ships.[4] 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 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. In the Falklands War during the Bluff Cove Air Attacks LCU F4 from was bombed and sunk in Choiseul Sound by an Argentine Air Force A-4B Skyhawk of Grupo 5.[5] The Mk.9, like the LPDs, served longer than ever anticipated, providing the backbone of Britain's amphibious assault capabilities.
Three Mk.9s, pennant numbers 701, 705, and 709, remained in service by 2012.[4] [6] However, by 2014, they had all been withdrawn from service.[7]
The LCU Mk.10 class vessels are operated by the Royal Marines. They are intended for use on board the assault ships and and can also be used by the Bay class landing ships. Deliveries of the class started from 1998 and the fleet currently consists of nine vessels. Both Albion and Bulwark are capable of carrying four LCUs each. These vessels are capable of operating independently for up to 14 days with a range of 600 nautical miles. They are capable of operating worldwide, 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 Mk.10 has a 7-man crew and can carry up to 120 Marines or alternatively 1 battle tank or 4 lorries. British assault ships also carry smaller LCVPs on davits to transport troops and light vehicles.
Ten Mk.10s, pennant numbers 1001 to 1010, were in service as of 2012.[6] In 2023 it was reported that 9 of the craft remained in service.[8]
The United States Navy built 1,394 Landing Craft Tank (LCT) in World War II. Those that were still in use in 1949 were redesignated as Landing Craft Utility (LCU).
Seventy old LCUs (likely ex-LCTs) were retired from amphibious duties and reclassified as Harbor utility craft (YFU).
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 LSDs, LHDs and LHAs.
Introduction of the larger LCU-1610 class resulted in the US Navy constructing the of Landing Ships, Dock (LSD).[11]
LCU-1618 was converted to support the testing of Remotely operated underwater vehicles and Autonomous underwater vehicles and was given the name USS Orca (IX-508).[12]
The 40-year-old craft will be replaced under LCU 1700[13] (ex-Surface Connector (X) Recapitalization, or SC(X)R), project starting in 2017.[14]
| [15] | LCU 1466 | LCU 1610 | LCU 1627 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Displacement – light | 180LT | 172LT | 200LT | |
| Displacement – full | n/a | 353LT | 386LT | |
| Length overall | 115feet | 134feet | 134feet | |
| Beam | 34feet | 29feet | 29feet | |
| Draft – full load, forward | 6feet | 4feet | 6feet | |
| Draft – full load, aft | 2feet | 3feet | 3feet | |
| Power – sustained | 675hp | 1000hp | 680hp | |
| Propulsion | 3 x Gray Marine diesel engines | 2 x Detroit 12V-71 diesel engines | 4 x Detroit diesel engines | |
| Shafts | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| Speed | 8kn | |||
| Range | 1200abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 6kn | 1200nmi at 8kn | 1200nmi at 6kn | |
| Complement | 14 | 14 | 12–14 | |
| Capacity – troops | 300 | 400 | 350 | |
| Capacity – cargo | 167LT | 180LT | 125LT |
The LCU 1700-class boats are destined to replace the existing LCU 1610-class of amphibious landing craft on a one-to-one basis. The LCU-1700 is 139 feet long, can reach speeds of 11 knots, has a range of 1,200 nautical miles at 8 knots, and has accommodations for a mixed gender crew of 14. It can carry two M1A1 tanks, or 350 combat troops, or 170 short tons of cargo.[18]
The contract announcement noted that the LCU 1700s will recapitalize the LCU fleet as a similarly rugged steel craft (to the LCU 1610) with a design life of 30 years.[19] The similarities of these two classes of ships will help the U.S. Navy to improve efficiency and reduce cost of the training programs, operations and overall ownership cost. The craft will enter, exit and be transported in well decks of current and programmed U.S. Navy amphibious warfare ships, for design purposes defined by the dimensions of LHD, LPD, LSD and LHA classes without ship alterations, while transporting loads up to 11 feet high above the craft’s vehicle deck.[20] The contract was awarded to Swiftships in 2018 to design and build the prototype and up to 32 vessels. Work was to be performed in Morgan City, Louisiana, and was expected to be completed by November 2023.[21] [22] By 2020, the Navy had ordered six vessels from Swiftships at a total cost of about $95 million. In January 2024, following delays in the scheduled delivery of the first three vessels and continued design changes, the Navy ordered Swiftships to stop work on construction; the contract was terminated entirely the following month.[23]
In September 2023, the Navy awarded Austal USA a $92 million contract to build three LCU 1700 vessels.[24] In August 2024, the Navy ordered two more vessels from Austal for $55 million, with options for seven more remaining.[25]