Landing Craft Tank (LCT) from World War Two discovered off Land's End

139K views Apr 22, 2025

During one of the worst storms of World War Two, the Royal Navy lost 55 sailors when six Landing Craft Tanks (LCTs) foundered off Land's End in late October 1944. This horrendous tragedy was largely forgotten until we dived an unknown wreck lying in nearly 100 metres of water. In the autumn of 1944, the Royal Navy dispatched 9 LCTs from the 9th LCT flotilla to the Far East as as part of convoy KMS66. Many of the vessels were survivors of the invasion Sicily and were expected to be used to support the invasion of Japan. In horrendous conditions far outside those in which they were designed to operate, six of the flat-bottomed LCTs foundered to the NW of the Isles of Scilly and fifty five sailors were drowned. Operating from Newquay, the #Gasperados team were diving unknown virgin wrecks and were stunned when we discovered a Landing Craft Tank. Archive research allowed us to piece together the incredible story of the lost sailors and craft of the 9th LCT flotilla. *Useful LInks* Combined Ops page - https://www.combinedops.com/9th%20LCT%20Flotilla.htm Royal Navy report - https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news/2023/july/18/20230718-lct-wreck The only surviving Mk3 LCT - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMLCT_7074 *Highlights* 00:00 Introduction 00:50 How did we identify the LCT? 02:15 9th Landing Craft Tank Flotilla - why was it there? 03:30 Survivor's account 05:33 How much decompression??? 06:06 Reaching the bottom


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