Motor landing craft built by the GWR at Swindon Works, 1942
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In August 1941 the GWR began building the first of a large number of motor landing craft in the Carriage and Wagon shops at Swindon. No. 13, Wagon Frame Shop was where this work took place. Motor landing craft were made in readiness for the invasion of Europe. Their primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships onto occupied shores. This image of Motor Landing Craft (MLC) No. 153 shows the flat bottom construction that enabled the craft to run up onto a beach, and the lowerable ramp from which the troops could swiftly disembark. These GWR-built landing crafts, and many variations built by other manufacturing companies, were used during the Second World War for amphibious assaults on enemy occupied Europe, starting with the invasion of Sicily in June 1943 through to the D Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944
Copyright © STEAM Museum of the GWR
Media ID 19929731
Date: 10th March 2014
Unique Reference Number: HWW2-1 052 & 092
Image Size: 2228 x 2768 Pixels
Filesize is 1.74MB
Associated Categories: Carriage and Wagon Works
Associated Categories: No 13 Shop
Associated Categories: War Workers
Associated Categories: The Railway at War
Associated Categories: Second World War
Keywords: invasion, motor landing craft, no 13 shop, normandy, swindon works, wagon frame shop, world war 2