Landing Craft

Coast Guard Reflects on 60th Anniversary of D-Day Participation

“Going into the beach it looked like the beach was covered with driftwood—when we got close we realized the beach was covered with bodies,” noted U.S. Coast Guard Radioman 3rd Class Leroy C. Bowen, Jr., crewman aboard LCI 83 that landed Allied forces and extracted wounded from French beaches 60 years ago Sunday. Bowen’s landing craft was one of many Coast Guard-manned ships that participated in the D-Day landings June 6, 1944—a day that would prove to be one of the bloodiest in the Coast Guard’s long history. According to Coast Guard Historian Scott Price, of the 99 Coast Guard-manned warships that participated during D-Day missions, six were lost and many others seriously damaged; 18 Coast Guardsmen died and 38 others wounded. VADM James D. Hull, the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area Commander is in Normandy and will represent the service during D-Day commemorations there Sunday. Elsewhere, Coast Guard units around the world will take a moment to reflect on this significant moment in its service’s history before returning its focus on securing the nation against terrorist attacks. Coast Guardsmen manned transport ships that carried soldiers from England to French shores; manned landing craft that delivered soldiers to French beaches and extracted wounded under heavy German small arms and artillery fire; and manned patrol craft that escorted U.S. and British landing craft to and from beach landings and plucked wounded sailors and soldiers from the churning, bloody surf

Companies Team on Ship-to-Shore Connector

Textron Marine & Land Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has teamed with L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) to pursue the Navy’s next generation landing-craft, the Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC), and to further develop the Navy’s contract design using its proven detailed design-to-prototype build practices. The SSC program, estimated by the Navy to have a value of $4b

Northrop Grumman-built Amphibious Dock Ship

The Northrop Grumman Corporation-built amphibious transport dock ship (LPD 20) completed builder's trials last week, a collaborative effort between the company's Shipbuilding sector and the U.S. Navy.   Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, the newly-formed sector of  Northrop Grumman Corporation, is made up of the former Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and shipbuilding sectors.  Rigorous testing was performed on the ship's main propulsion, communications, steering, navigational

Kvichak Contract for Navy MPF Utility Boats

Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc., of Seattle, Wa., was recently awarded a contract by the United States Navy for the construction of five each MPF utility boats following the successful delivery of 21 utility boats since February 2006.  The 40 ft high-speed landing craft are replacing the Navy’s existing LCM-8 craft as part of the Improved Navy Lighterage System in support of pre-positioned Marine Amphibious assault missions.

Make Over for Landing Craft

By Alan Haig-Brown The iconic 4-wheel-drive World War II Jeep has undergone decades of upgrades to become the modern SUV. Now the craft that landed on the beaches of Normandy and the islands of the Pacific has been similarly upgraded at the South East Asia Shipyard in Vietnam.   The most important factor in the design, by France’s Piriou Ingénierie, is the provision for the landing craft to carry up to nine TEU of containers on trailers as well as regular cargos

Navy Conducting Final Alternative Fuel demo

Navy to conduct final alternative fuel demonstration of the year with Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC).   WHAT: The U.S. Navy is conducting its final alternative fuel demonstration for the year with a maritime alternative fuel test in a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) stationed at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD), Panama City, Fla., Dec. 9. WHEN: Media availability will be held Dec. 9, 9 a.m. (CST).  

USS Bonhomme Richard Off-Loads 13th MEU

Marines assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) offload a Landing Craft Utility (LCU) after disembarking USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) The LCU is assigned to Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 1 Det Delta. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Cale Bentley By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Ryan Tabios, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs The USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) (BHR) off-loaded the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) here May 25-28.

Kvichak Constructing Four MPF Boats

Photo credit: Bill Sutton Kvichak Marine Industries is currently constructing four each MPF utility boats for the United States Navy. The 40-ft. high-speed landing craft replace the Navy’s existing LCM-8 craft as part of the Improved Navy Lighterage System in support of pre-positioned Marine Amphibious assault missions. These four craft were ordered after the successful completion and delivery of 10 MPF utility boats to the Navy in early 2007.

Eye on the Navy

April 1, 2009, a landing craft air cushion from Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 5 leaves a beach during an exercise near Camp Lemonier, Djibouti. ACU-5 is currently assigned to the USS Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group supporting Combined Task Force-151 (CTF-151), a multinational task force conducting counter-piracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

This Day in U.S. Naval History - March 11

1935 - Birth of Naval Security Group when OP-20G became the Communications Security Group   1941 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Lend-Lease Act   1942 - In a PT boat, LCDR John Bulkeley leaves the Philippines to take General Douglas MacArthur to Australia   1945 - Use of first Navy landing craft to cross Rhine River at Bad Neuenahr   1965 - Market Time patrols begin off South Vietnam coast