Mk. III LCU
.jpg) L36 LCU at Sea
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | LCU MK III class |
| Builders | Goa Shipyard Limited [1] |
| Operators |  Indian Navy |
| Preceded by | LCU Mk II |
| Succeeded by | LCU MK IV |
| Built | 1986-87 |
| Planned | 4 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Active | 2 |
| Retired | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 500 tons [2] |
| Length | 57.5 m [2] |
| Beam | 8.2 m |
| Draft | 1.57 m |
| Depth | 4m |
| Propulsion | 3 Kirloskar-MAN V8V 17.5/22 AMAL diesel engines x 562 bhp driving 3 shafts.[3] |
| Speed | 11.5 kts |
| Range | 1,000 nm at 8 kt |
| Troops | 120 |
| Complement | 207 |
| Crew | 87 |
| Sensors and processing systems | 1 Racal Decca 1629 radar at I-band frequency. |
| Armament | 2 x Bofors 40mm/60 guns (aft) & mines |
Mk III LCU class vessels are follow on class of Mk II LCU operated by the Indian Navy and are meant to augment the Indian Navy's amphibious capability. The ships can be deployed for maritime roles like maritime security, beaching, un-beaching, humanitarian relief operations and evacuation from distant islands, search and rescue operations and peace-keeping missions. The landing craft are meant for use by amphibious forces to transport equipment and troops to the shore. They are capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and troops from amphibious assault ships to beachheads or piers. The landing craft are carried onboard amphibious assault ships to the objective area. Built and delivered between 1986-87 the mission of the LCU is to land/retrieve personnel and equipment (tanks, artillery, equipment, motor vehicles) during amphibious operations.[3] LCU's help land personnel and equipment after the initial assault waves of an amphibious operation.[2][4]
History
Goa Shipyard Limited built and delivered these 4 LCU Mk III ships between 1978 and 1987 alongside the now decommissioned 2 LCU Mk I and 3 LCU Mk II ships. Out of the 3 of Mk II ships 2 are still in service. However, as the design was not suitable so no more ships were ordered of this design from Goa Shipyard.[5][3][6]
Service
The LCU Mark-III ships were developed in-house by Goa Shipyard and are designed for multipurpose amphibious operations to be carried out by Indian Navy. In Dec 2016, LCU L38 was part of the operation to rescue 800 tourists stranded in Havelock Islands [7] In 1988, Lt Cdr KR Nair; the Commanding Officer of LCU 36 was awarded Nau Sena Medal for conducting Operation Pawan Patrol, an anti militant patrol operation in uncharted waters. LCU 36 was also involved in providing cyclone relief service in 1990 at Rangat Island part of Andaman islands [8][9][10]
Ships of the class
| Yard No | Pennant | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Home-port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L 36 | 18 July 1986 [2] | 9 February 2018[11] | Port Blair | |||
| L 37 | 18 October 1986 | 9 February 2018[11][10] | ||||
| L 38 | 10 December 1986 | |||||
| L 39 | 25 March 1987 |
See also
References
- ^ "Transition to Eminence: The Indian Navy 1976-1990".
- ^ a b c d "Mk.2 & Mk.3 Landing Craft Class".
- ^ a b c "Mark 3 Landing Craft".
- ^ "Kumbhir Class, LCU (MK-3) Class". Archived from the original on 31 July 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Transition to Eminence: The Indian Navy 1976-1990".
- ^ "Transition-to-Eminence-07Apr16.pdf" (PDF).
- ^ "Navy Ships to Rescue 800 Tourists From Andaman After Heavy Rains".
- ^ "Transition to Eminence: The Indian Navy 1976-1990".
- ^ "Transition-to-Eminence-07Apr16.pdf" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Port Blair | INLCU-36, INLCU-37 decommissioned after 30 glorious years of service to nation | The Echo of India". The Echo of India. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ a b SpokespersonNavy (7:30 AM - 9 Feb 2018). "Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility, IN LCU 36 & IN LCU 37 were decommissioned this evening at Port Blair after completing more than 30 years of glorious service to the nation. LCU 36 was 1st of LCU MK-III class landing craft utility vessels built at GSL followed by LCU 37, 38 &39pic.twitter.com/othoW7XP6x". @indiannavy. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
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