Blog

Just as LCT 7074 had to land on sideways – juggling tide level and beach just right, to come to rest safely ready to slip onto Southsea’s Clarence Promenade in safety – so too on arrival at ‘D-Day Story’ did she have to move laterally into her new berth. Not so much a shuffle really – more a super-smooth slide. The distinguished 80-year old lady must have thought “This is some billet!”, all snug and tiddly (as sailors say) under the beautiful wave-form canopy over her – on its own a major new landmark for Southsea and the county of Hampshire beyond. Visible from afar, the canopy is already provoking “What the blazes is that?” reactions from visitors. And then more visits. One of the experts moving her so successfully put it this way: “This will be Southsea and Portsmouth’s London Eye!” Spot on.

You know those ads you see offering you drones at knock-down prices, easy to fly, great pictures etc. Hmmm. It’s not so much the drone itself as the person operating it that makes the difference – just as any top photographer will tell you, you don’t need mega-expensive kit to take great pictures: you can take superb shots with a disposable camera from Boots, if you use your eyes. Well, Maritime Films UK were lucky enough to secure the services of Matt Wild for our drone work. NB you also have to be licensed to do this properly, and you need to check with the local authority too – especially if you are flying over people. Matt handled all that and produced superb work. Go to https://www.maritimefilmsuk.tv/films/d-day-delivered-the-story-of-landing-craft-tank-7074-3-revelation/ to see what he delivered. Breath-taking. See much more of Matt’s superb work at http://www.altivision.co.uk/our-work.html

The people of Portsmouth and Southsea are made of too stern stuff to let Covid put them off: so out in the fresh air where infection was – and is – vanishingly unlikely, they turned out in force as the Artelia team expertly manoeuvred the last LCT survivor of D-Day onto the Southsea promenade, inch by inch, checking and re-checking. Already safely on her SPMT, (Self-Propelled Modular Transporter) she made it onto the roadway, monitored all the while by those caring for her – notably ML (UK) of Portsmouth, who had done such outstanding restoration work on 7074 for The National Museum of the Royal Navy. As she moved off, a round of applause broke out – fitting recognition for this gallant survivor and all who triumphantly brought her back to life, to be seen and admired into the future.

So, in the early hours of the next morning, it was make or break to land LCT 7074. The parallels with Normandy 1944 itself, where the Landing Craft Tank first went into action, were too obvious to miss. (It was even D-Day + 1 – just as in 1944, 7074 was ready aye ready on that first night, but the wind and weather held her off into the next day.) Unseasonal winds – check. A break in the weather – check. The ship locked and loaded – check. The best and boldest advice to act on – check. And then there she was, her 59-metre length gently nudging in sideways, the tide just right over the beach so she would be level with the roadway to take her home to ‘D-Day Story’. Re-re-check – including with a humble tape measure!

… GFI became NWJ (“No Way José”) after hours of valiant struggle, moving the barge carrying the landing craft wave by wave along Southsea front, with the wind whipping at halliards and a nasty short sea crashing again and again against the slab sides of her barge. She was right there, all ready to be crabbed sideways to her carefully judged landing position on the beach, to roll her onto her road transporter. It was just too tantalizing, but in consultation with his expert engineers, 7074 Project Leader Nick Hewitt of the National Museum of the Royal Navy called it: go back and hope for better weather after daybreak. Now the risk factor had multiplied – because if the second attempt failed, the next tidal conditions were a month away, with Autumn winds anticipated. And that redeployment’s cost? £250,000. Ouch.

It didn’t look good the night the National Museum of the Royal Navy decided to GFI (“Go For It”) and move LCT 7074 to her new home outside Southsea’s ‘D-Day Story’ museum. It was windy and choppy – all depended on the ability of the tugs to tow the dead weight of the barge carrying the last D-Day Landing Craft Tank out of Portsmouth Dockyard, and through the narrow harbour entrance – which once caught HMS ‘Vanguard’, on her sad way to the breakers. For a while, Britain’s last battleship got wedged across the harbour entrance (picture) giving drinkers at the two pubs right on the water an unparalleled view of her majestic port side. So… could the LCT 7074 team make it, and avoid ‘Vanguard’s fate? It was just about the last chance with tide and weather, so GFI… but…