Sweet WWII LCT MK3 Rocket Barrage

The Mark 3 had an additional 32-foot (9.8 m) mid-section that gave it a length of 192 feet (59 m) and a displacement of 640 tons. Even with this extra weight the vessel was slightly faster than the Mark 1. The Mk.3 was accepted on 8 April 1941, and was prefabricated in five sections. The increase in length allowed it to carry five 40-ton tanks and all their related support equipment, or 300 tons of deck cargo. Though the Royal Navy appreciated the higher load capacity of the Mk.3 it soon discovered several construction deficiencies. Pressed into service without sufficient testing, combat operations demonstrated the need to add longitudinal stiffeners to the Mk.3s (and later the Mk.4s) in order to avoid torsional stresses to the hull. Two hundred and thirty-five Mk.3's were built.