Landing Craft, Flak (Mark II) №1 - "The Odd One Out"

Suggestions Naval
1
Would you like to see Landing Craft, Flak (Mark II) №1 in game?
  • Yes, as a tech tree vehicle
  • Yes, as a premium vehicle
  • Yes, as an event vehicle
  • Yes, as a squadron vehicle
  • No, I would not like to see L.C.F.(2) №1 in game.
0 voters

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Photo of L.C.F.(2) №1 at sea. Her two 4" twin gun mounts are clearly visible.

History

The Landing Craft, Flak (L.C.F.) was a class of vessel that served with the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy during World War II. They were created in order to protect landing operations primarily, as their name suggests, by providing a mobile air defense platform. All L.C.F. types were converted from Landing Craft, Tank vessels and shared the Mark of their base model. This made construction simpler and meant that there would be no issue with the new vessels keeping up with the rest of the fleet.

L.C.F.(2) №1 is a curious specimen. Whereas the following series of L.C.F.s would all mainly rely on automatic cannons, L.C.F.(2) №1 carried two twin 4" dual-purpose gun turrets of the type that can be seen fitted to cruisers such as Leander in game. To aim these cannons, L.C.F.(2) №1 appears to have been given a coincidence rangefinder in a fire control tower that only appears on this L.C.F. Besides her main guns, she had three 20mm Oerlikon automatic cannons in single mounts. One can be seen forward of the front gun turret, while two were mounted aft. The (Mark II) in her name refers to the fact that she was converted from an L.C.T.(2), one of only two L.C.F.(2)s produced.

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Another view of L.C.F.(2) №1 showing her strange conning tower. The limits that the blast screens impose on the firing arcs of the 4" guns are readily apparent.

Unfortunately, very little is known about this vessel. None of the following L.C.F.s would use the 4" dual purpose guns, instead being equipped with a slew of 40mm pom-poms and 20mm Oerlikons. This can most likely be attributed to the Royal Navy wanting the 4" guns elsewhere, the larger amount of crew required for L.C.F.(2) №1 compared to her following cousins, and the somewhat poor arcs of fire owing to the large blast screens required for the guns. L.C.F.(2) №1 fought valiantly to its last breath in the Dieppe landings and was sunk in action after engaging enemy coastal defenses.

Specifications

Landing Craft, Flak (Mark II) №1

Dimensions

  • Length: 159 ft. 11 in. (48.7 m)
  • Beam: 31 ft. 0 in. (9.45 m)
  • Draught:
    • 3 ft. 6 in. (1.07 m) forward
    • 7 ft. 6 in. (2.29 m) aft

Displacement: 455 tons

Crew: 81

Propulsion: 3 x Paxman diesel engines (1,500 shp)

Max Speed: 11 kt (12.7 mph, 20.4 km/h)

Range: 2,000 mi @ 10 kt

Armament:

  • Primary: 2 x 2 4" dual purpose cannon
    • Ammunition types: HE, HE-TF, SAP
  • Secondary: 3 x 1 20mm Oerlikon cannon

Armor:

  • Gun deck: 20 lb DIHT
  • Bridge: 20 lb DIHT

Additional Equipment:

  • Stereoscopic rangefinder

Conclusion

Unfortunately, I can’t find very much information on this vessel, as even the Royal Navy landing craft manual from 1944 omits it (not a huge surprise considering it was sunk). Therefore I cannot provide a more extensive list of specifications, or more photographs than the two I provided. I still think that this could be a worthy addition to the game if Gaijin can find enough information to make it happen. She’s slow and lumbering, but the armament is not bad and she has a good fire control system. I sadly can’t tell from the photographs, but she also appears to have a search radar, which would be a useful asset. I think L.C.F.(2) №1 would fit well as a high rank coastal vessel for the British tree, as she is about the same size and speed as the American L.C.S.(L)(3) with powerful armament to make up for it.

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