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56-1139: Holcroft is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Bert Holcroft (born 1935), English rugby player, coach and writer Charles Holcroft (disambiguation) , several people Fanny Margaretta Holcroft (1780–1844), writer Francis Holcroft (1629?–1693), English minister George Holcroft (1856–1951), English mine owner and baronet Harold Holcroft (1882–1973), English railway engineer Holcroft valve gear Henry Holcroft (1586–1650), English politician John Holcroft (disambiguation) , several people M. H. Holcroft (1902-1993), New Zealand essayist and novelist Patrick Holcroft (born 1948), English soldier and banker Peter Holcroft (1931-2009), 3rd baronet Rosemary Charlotte Holcroft (1942-2000), South African botanical illustrator Sam Holcroft , British playwright Thomas Holcroft (disambiguation) , several people Holcroft Blood ( c.  1660 – 1707), Anglo-Irish soldier Phoebe Holcroft Watson (1898-1980), British tennis player Fictional characters [ edit ] Mudie Holcroft,

112-459: A 12 by 32 ft (3.7 by 9.8 m) ramp that was hinged at the main deck. This allowed vehicles to be driven directly from the main deck down to the tank deck and then across the bow ramp to the beach or causeway, speeding the process of disembarkation. Changes in the later LST-542 class included the addition of a navigation bridge; the installation of a water distillation plant with a capacity of 4,000 imperial gallons (18,000 L) per day;

168-457: A fictional character from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer See also [ edit ] Holcroft baronets Mount Holcroft , Canada The Holcroft Covenant , a 1978 novel by Robert Ludlum The Holcroft Covenant (film) , a 1985 thriller All pages with titles containing Holcroft [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with the surname Holcroft . If an internal link intending to refer to

224-469: A high priority throughout the war. Since most shipbuilding activities were located in coastal yards that were mainly used for construction of large, deep-draft ships, new construction facilities for the LSTs were established along inland waterways, some converted from heavy-industry plants, such as steel fabrication yards. Shifting the vessels was complicated by bridges across waterways, many of which were modified by

280-485: A high priority was assigned to the construction of LSTs that the previously laid keel of an aircraft carrier was hastily removed to make room for several LSTs to be built in her place. The keel of the first LST was laid down on 10 June 1942 at Newport News, Virginia , and the first standardized LSTs were floated out of their building dock in October. Twenty-three were in commission by the end of 1942. The LST building program

336-462: A highly specialized design that enabled ocean crossings as well as shore groundings. The bow had a large door that could open, deploy a ramp and unload vehicles. The LST had a flat keel that allowed the ship to be beached and stay upright. The twin propellers and rudders had protection from grounding . The LSTs served across the globe during World War II, including in the Pacific War and in

392-433: A month, final working plans were developed that further stretched the overall length to 328 feet (100 m) with a 50-foot (15 m) beam and a minimum draft of 3.8 feet (1.2 m). This scheme distributed the ship's weight over a greater area, enabling her to ride higher in the water when in landing trim. The LST could carry a 2,100 short tons (1,900 t) load of tanks and vehicles. The larger dimensions also permitted

448-463: A series of books for rugby and football. Holcroft died on August 17, 2021. Tank landing ship A landing ship, tank , ( LST ) is a ship first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks , vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto a low-slope beach with no docks or piers . The shallow draft and bow doors and ramps enabled amphibious assaults on almost any beach. The LST had

504-482: A shallow draught sufficient for easy unloading. As a result, each of the three ( Boxer , Bruiser , and Thruster ) ordered in March 1941 had a very long ramp stowed behind the bow doors. The ships were built at Harland and Wolff from 1941 and the first completed early in 1943. Work was delayed by the complexities of an entirely new type of design and German air raids on Belfast. Bruiser and Thruster took part in

560-444: A specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holcroft&oldid=1109030120 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All set index articles Bert Holcroft Bert Holcroft joined

616-416: A weak side at the time, having won just five matches in the two preceding seasons under Dick Dunn and fellow Englishman Nat Silcock Jr. . Under Holcroft they only won three games of 36 contested in the two seasons he was in charge; in 1966 Easts became the most recent (as of 2022 ) premiership team not to win a game during a season. Over the years Holcroft developed his training and fitness techniques into

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672-693: The European theatre . The first tank landing ships were built to British requirements by converting existing ships; the UK and the US then collaborated upon a joint design. The British ships were used in late 1942 during the Allied invasion of Algeria . In 1943, LSTs participated in the invasion of Sicily and mainland Italy . In June 1944 they were part of the huge invasion fleet for the Normandy landings . Over 1,000 LSTs were laid down in

728-581: The Salerno landings . Later all three were intended to be converted to fighter direction ships in order to have ground-controlled interception of enemy aircraft during landing operations but only Boxer was converted and it took part in the Normandy landings. The U.S. were to build seven LST (1) but in light of the problems with the design and progress with the LST Mark II the plans were cancelled. Construction of

784-599: The United States Navy 's Bureau of Ships with regard to development of ships and the possibility of building further Boxer s in the US. During this meeting, it was decided that the Bureau of Ships would design these vessels. As with the standing agreement, these ships would be built by the US so British shipyards could concentrate on building vessels for the Royal Navy . The specifications called for vessels capable of crossing

840-633: The 1960s Holcroft and his wife, Bridget, moved to Australia where he coached junior side Murwillumbah Brothers to successive premierships in the Tweed Rugby League in 1961 and 1962. Holcroft also coached the Bundaberg representative team where he introduced new training techniques relating to diet and weight training. Holcroft was appointed as coach of Eastern Suburbs in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in 1965. Easts were

896-528: The Atlantic, and the original title given to them was "Atlantic Tank Landing Craft", abbreviated as "Atlantic (T.L.C.)". Calling a vessel 300 ft (91 m) long a "craft" was considered a misnomer and the type was re-named "Landing Ship, Tank (2)", or "LST (2)". The LST (2) design incorporated elements of the first British LCTs from their designer, Sir Rowland Baker , who was part of the British delegation. One of

952-492: The EMD engines could have provided. However, the only engines available were very heavy steam reciprocating engines from frigates that had been cancelled. These delivered two and a half times the power of the diesels. So large were they that significant changes had to be made to accommodate them. Lack of welded construction facilities meant that the hull had to be riveted. This combination of heavy hull and heavy engines meant that speed

1008-642: The LCT was ready for operation. This method was used for moving LCT5s from Britain to the Far East, although there seems to be no reference to LST (3)s being used, most being completed late in or after the war. Even at the end of the war there was a need for more ships able to carry minor landing craft, and two of the LST (3)s then completing were specially fitted to carry LCM (7). These craft, which were 58 ft (18 m) long and weighed about 28 tons, were carried transversely on

1064-668: The LST (1)s took until 1943 and the first US LST (2) was launched before them. At their first meeting at the Atlantic Conference in Argentia , Newfoundland , in August 1941, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill confirmed the Admiralty's views. In November 1941, a small delegation from the Admiralty arrived in the United States to pool ideas with

1120-711: The LST (2), but suffered from a deeper draught, and, to some extent, from the haste of construction. The first orders were placed in December 1943 with British builders, and 35 with Canadian builders. Swan Hunter delivered the first ships in December 1944. During 1944, follow up orders were placed in Canada for a further 36. These programmes were in full swing when the war ended, but not all vessels were completed. The ships were numbered numbers LST-3001 to LST-3045 and LST-3501 to LST-3534 . LST−3535 and later were cancelled. Fifteen 40-ton tanks or 27 25-ton tanks could be carried on

1176-498: The LST shipyards. The Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. built the most LSTs of any shipyard, with 171 constructed at Evansville, Indiana . Chicago Bridge and Iron 's shipyard in Seneca, Illinois , launched 156 ships and was specifically chosen because of their reputation and skills, particularly in welding. The American Bridge Company in Ambridge, Pennsylvania , built 119. By 1943,

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1232-494: The LST(2) had the same slow speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), but given the much larger numbers of the LST(2), that had to be accepted. The Boxer class was a scaled-down design from ideas penned by Prime Minister Winston Churchill . In order that it could carry 13 Churchill infantry tanks , 27 other vehicles and nearly 200 men (in addition to the crew) at a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), it could not have

1288-578: The Navy to permit passage. A dedicated Navy "Ferry Command" orchestrated the transportation of newly constructed ships to coastal ports for final fitting out. Of the 1,051 LSTs built during the war, 670 were supplied by five "cornfield shipyards" in the Midwest. Dravo Corporation 's facility at Neville Island, Pennsylvania , designated the lead shipyard for the project, built 145 vessels and developed fabrication techniques that reduced construction time and costs at all of

1344-488: The Navy, the balance of the procurement was handled centrally by the Material Coordinating Agency—an adjunct of the Bureau of Ships—so that the numerous builders in the program would not have to bid against one another. Through vigorous follow-up action on materials ordered, the agency made possible the completion of construction schedules in record time. The need for LSTs was urgent, and the program enjoyed

1400-517: The Royal Navy at aged 18 and was 20 when he served aboard the Flower-class corvette HMS Petunia . On 6 June 1944, HMS Petunia was among the naval force that took part in the invasion of Normandy, and on D-Day . HMS Petunia was an escort vessel for one of the assault convoys. During the assault the ship received a " mayday " from an American tank landing ship that had struck a mine . Holcroft

1456-639: The United States during World War II for use by the Allies ; the United Kingdom and Canada produced eighty more. The British evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940 demonstrated to the Admiralty that the Allies needed relatively large, ocean-going ships that could handle shore-to-shore delivery of tanks and other vehicles in amphibious assaults upon the continent of Europe. As an interim measure, three 4,000 to 4,800- gross register ton " Lake tankers ," built to pass over

1512-407: The basic design for the more than 1,000 LST (2) that were built during World War II. To meet the conflicting requirements of deep draft for ocean travel and shallow draft for beaching, the ship was designed with a large ballast system that could be filled for ocean passage and pumped out for beaching operations. An anchor and mechanical winch system also aided in the ship's ability to pull itself off

1568-481: The beach. The rough sketch was sent to Britain on 5 November 1941 and accepted immediately. The Admiralty then requested that the United States build 200 "LST (2)" for the Royal Navy under the terms of lend-lease . The preliminary plans initially called for an LST 280 feet (85 m) in length; but, in January 1942, the Bureau of Ships discarded these drawings for a slightly longer ship of 290 feet (88 m). Within

1624-467: The bow doors and ramp were electrical, but otherwise, steam auxiliaries replaced the electrical gear on the LST (2). The general arrangements of the tank deck were similar, but the design increased headroom and added a ramp to the top deck, as in later LST (2)s. Provision was made for carrying LCA on gravity davits instead of the American built assault boats. The arrangements were generally an improvement over

1680-535: The bow. By January 1942, the first scale model of the LST had been built and was undergoing tests at the David Taylor Model Basin in Washington, D.C. Provisions were made for the satisfactory ventilation of the tank space while the tank motors were running, and an elevator was provided to lower vehicles from the main deck to the tank deck for disembarking. In April 1942 a mock-up of the well-deck of an LST

1736-600: The commanding officer of the first U.S. LST to drive his ship onto the beach at full speed of 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h). The LST(2) was built as the LST-1 class and the LST-491 class . In three separate acts dated 6 February 1942, 26 May 1943, and 17 December 1943, Congress provided the authority for the construction of LSTs along with a host of other auxiliaries, destroyer escorts , and assorted landing craft . The enormous building program quickly gathered momentum. Such

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1792-400: The construction time for an LST had been reduced to four months. By the end of the war, this had been cut to two months. Considerable effort was expended to hold the ship's design constant, but, by mid-1943, operating experience led to the incorporation of certain changes in the new ships. From LST-513, the elevator to transfer equipment between the tank deck and the main deck was replaced with

1848-403: The designers to increase the width of the bow door opening and ramp from 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 m) in order for it to be able to accommodate most Allied vehicles. As the dimensions and weight of the LST increased, steel plating thickness increased from 1 ⁄ 4 -inch (6.4 mm) to 3 ⁄ 8 -inch (9.5 mm) on the deck and sides, with 1-inch-thick (25 mm) plating under

1904-446: The elements provided for sufficient buoyancy in the ships' sidewalls so that they would float the ship even when the tank deck was flooded. The LST (2) gave up the speed of HMS Boxer , at only 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), but carried a similar load while drawing only three feet (91 cm) forward when beaching. Within a few days, John C. Niedermair of the Bureau of Ships sketched out an awkward looking ship that proved to be

1960-466: The engine to be turned end to end to suit either port or starboard side fitting. When the LST (3)s were ordered, the LST (2) programme was in full swing, and similar arrangements were made to enable the LSTs to carry the 112 feet (34 m) long LCT5 or LCT6 that were being built in America for the Royal Navy. The LCT needed lifting onto the deck of the ship, being carried on wedge-shaped support blocks; at

2016-651: The facilities to maintain the landing craft (which the Dock Landing Ships provided). The Landing Craft Assault were wooden-hulled vessels plated with armour, 41 ft 6 in (12.65 m) long overall, 10 ft (3.0 m) wide, and displacing 13 tons fully loaded. Draught was 2 ft 3 in (0.69 m), and normal load was 35 troops with 800 lb (360 kg) of equipment. A pair of Scripps marine conversions of Ford V8 engines gave it speeds of 11 knots (20 km/h) unloaded, 8 knots (15 km/h) service speed, 3 knots (5.6 km/h) on one engine. Range

2072-527: The need for an all-new design incorporating a sleeker hull . The Boxer class was the first purpose-built LST design. This work was started before any of the converted Maracaibo class were in service, so there was no opportunity to learn from the effectiveness of that design. The urgency in building the Boxers was that the Maracaibos were considered to be too slow for operational requirements. As events turned out,

2128-539: The problem, but heavy grounding skegs and the N.L. pontoon causeways were finally accepted as standard; the pontoon causeways were formed of pontoons 7 ft (2.1 m) × 5 ft × 5 ft (1.5 m), made up into strings and rafts. When offloading, the rafts were secured to the fore end of the ship, and the load discharged directly onto the shore, or towed on the raft to the shore. The ships were fitted out for service in both very cold and tropical conditions. The accommodation provided for both crew and army personnel

2184-399: The removal of the tank deck ventilator tubes from the center section of the main deck; the strengthening of the main deck in order to carry a smaller Landing Craft Tank (LCT); and an upgrade in armor and armament, with the addition of a 3"/50 caliber gun . The LST (2) design was successful and production extensive, but there was still a need for more LSTs for British operations. As such, it

2240-407: The restrictive bars of Lake Maracaibo , Venezuela , were selected for conversion because of their shallow draft . Bow doors and ramps were added to these ships, which became the first tank landing ships, LST (1): HMS  Misoa , Tasajera and Bachaquero . They later proved their worth during the invasion of Algeria in 1942, but their bluff bows made for inadequate speed and pointed out

2296-449: The ships were expected to land would be very flat, but it was not possible to produce a satisfactory vessel with a 3 ft (0.91 m) draught forward, and very little keel slope, so the 1 in 50 keel slope was maintained. It was known that the 1:50 slope would often result in the LST grounding aft on a shallow beach, resulting in the vehicles being discharged into comparatively deep water. Various methods had been investigated to overcome

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2352-401: The stuffing boxes, and all pistons fitted with packing rings and springs. The high-pressure valve was of the piston type, whilst the remaining ones were of the balanced type. The main engines were designed to develop 2,750 hp (2,050 kW) at 185 rpm continuously. With the ships being twin screw, the engines were fitted with a shaft coupling to the crank shaft at the forward end, allowing

2408-536: The tank deck with an additional fourteen lorries on the weather deck. Steam was supplied by a pair of Admiralty pattern 3-drum water-tube type boilers , working at 225 pounds per square inch (1,550 kPa). The main engines were of the 4-cylinder triple expansion 4-crank type, balanced on the Yarrow -Tweedy-Slick system, the cylinders being as follows: The common stroke was 30 inches (760 mm). The piston and slide valve rods were all fitted with metallic packing to

2464-430: The time of launching she was set down on the "launch ways" by simply slacking off bolts in the wedge blocks, allowing the launch way to take the weight. To carry out a launch, the LST was heeled over about 11 degrees by careful flooding of tanks in the hull. The height of the drop was about 10 ft (3.0 m). Once launched in this way, the propeller shafts were reconnected (together with some minor "unpacking" work) and

2520-450: The upper deck of the ship. They were hoisted on by means of a specially fitted 30-ton derrick; This 30-ton derrick replaced a 15-ton derrick, two of which were the standard fit of the LST (3). The 30-ton derrick was taller and generally more substantial than the 15 ton one. The LCM (7)s were landed on trolleys fitted with hydraulic jacks. These ran on rails down each side of the deck, and were hauled to and fro by means of winches. The stowage

2576-485: The upper deck, and the ship was enlarged to accommodate the more bulky machinery. Provision was made for carrying the British Landing Craft Assault (LCA) in gravity davits , instead of American assault craft. Provision was also made for carrying Landing Craft Tank (LCT) and Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM), and NL pontoon causeways . When the design commenced, engineers knew that the beaches where

2632-431: Was 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m), and propulsion was provided by a pair of Hudson Invader petrol engines, later replaced with Grays diesels, both sets providing 290 bhp (220 kW), giving a speed of 9.8 knots (18.1 km/h). The main requirement of the design was to carry a 40-ton Churchill tank or bulldozer at 10 knots (19 km/h). 140 had been completed when the war ended, and some saw service through to

2688-418: Was 50–80 miles (80–130 km) miles on 64 imperial gallons (290 L). Armament was typically a Bren light machine gun aft; with two Lewis Guns in a port forward position. The LCM (7)s that were carried on the LST (2) were considerably larger, 60 ft 3 in (18.36 m) in length, 16 ft (4.9 m) beam, with a hoisting weight of 28 tons, full load displacement of 63 tons. Beaching draught

2744-510: Was among those who saved 60 of the soldiers from the tank landing ship. In 2016 Holcroft was decorated with the Legion d'Honneur by the French government - an award Holcroft dedicated to the men saved on D-Day. After the war Bert Holcroft played rugby league for amateur team Wigan Road Working Men's RLFC as well as the reserve team of Leigh . He also coached the B and Colts junior teams for Leigh. In

2800-589: Was completed in three months. This historic building remains at Fort Knox today. Early LST operations required overcoming the 18th-century language of the Articles for the Government of the United States Navy: "He who doth suffer his ships to founder on rocks and shoals shall be punished..." There were some tense moments of concept testing at Quonset, Rhode Island , in early 1943 when designer Niedermair encouraged

2856-476: Was constructed at Fort Knox , Kentucky, to resolve the problem of ventilation within the LST well-deck. The interior of the building was constructed to duplicate all the features found within an actual LST. Being the home to the Armored Force Board, Fort Knox supplied tanks to run on the inside while Naval architects developed a ventilation system capable of evacuating the well-deck of harmful gases. Testing

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2912-433: Was decided to build a further 80 of the ships in the UK and Canada to be available in the spring of 1945. The British Staff drew up their own specification, requiring that the ship: Two major problems made a redesign necessary. The preferred light weight medium-speed (locomotive type) Electro-Motive Diesel 12- 567 diesel engines were not immediately available. Staff wanted more power and higher speeds if possible, which

2968-413: Was filled from fore to aft as each craft was jacked down onto fixed cradles between the rails. The ships completed to this standard were LST-3043 /HMS Messina , and LST-3044 /HMS Narvik . While these ships were able to carry LCMs, they were only able to carry out loading and unloading operations under nearly ideal weather conditions, and therefore could not be used for assault operations; they also lacked

3024-460: Was greatly improved compared with LST (2). The main hazard, apart from enemy action, was fire on the tank deck. Fire sprinklers were provided, but the water drenching system installed in later American vessels could not be provided. The bow door arrangements were similar to the LST (2), but the design arranged the bow ramp in two parts in an attempt to increase the number of beaches where direct discharge would be possible. The machinery for operating

3080-467: Was only 3 knots (5.6 km/h) faster than the LCT (2). At the same time, other improvements were made—as well as simplifications required so most of the structure could be assembled with rivets . The cutaway hard chine that had been dropped in the American version of the Mark 2 vessels was restored. The tank deck, which was above the waterline, was made parallel to the keel , there was to be no round down to

3136-454: Was unique in several respects. As soon as the basic design had been developed, contracts were let and construction was commenced in quantity before the completion of a test vessel. Preliminary orders were rushed out verbally or by telegrams, telephone, and air mail letters. The ordering of certain materials actually preceded the completion of design work. While many heavy equipment items, such as main propulsion machinery, were furnished directly by

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