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As we captioned these shots in our film ‘D-Day Delivered – The Story of LCT 7074: 3 – Revelation’, you should look away if – like me – your parking skills leave, ahem, something to be desired. Neither I, nor colleagues Andy Jones and David Botwinik, could see how on earth this 59-metre ship was going to be manoeuvred out of Portsmouth Naval Dockyard’s huge ship shed and onto the barge waiting to take her to her new home – Southsea’s ‘D-Day Story’ Museum. Apart from anything else, there’s a four-storey gantry running the length of the shed around which she would have to turn. But the maestro in charge got her out without a hitch, using what looked like a second-hand PlayStation slung around his neck to do the job. Smooth as silk. See it all happen at https://www.maritimefilmsuk.tv/films/d-day-delivered-the-story-of-landing-craft-tank-7074-3-revelation/

Landing Craft Tank 7074 hid her newly painted charms under white plastic for many a long month, to help prevent any contamination of the RN’s giant ship shed in Portsmouth naval dockyard. And to look after the painstaking paint work carried out by ML (UK) of Portsmouth, inch by inch. But at last the day came and our stills photography specialist David Botwinik was fully rigged to catch its progress. Unpeeling was pretty rapid, given the length of the ship and the massive size of the stretched carrier bag (definitely not a Bag for Life) which covered ‘D-Day Story’s latest blushing bride. Removal was unsophisticated – a lot of clambering about with Stanley knives by two uncoverers, only paused briefly when they realised they were disturbing a lot of dirt on top, and needed breathing apparatus. Then, there she was!

My thanks to LCT 7074 historian and archaeologist Stephen Fisher for this explanation of the strange pipe-like structure you can see in the picture – the ‘FAM’:

FAM stands for ‘Fast Aerial Mine’, an ‘Unrotated Projectile’: a simple weapon of questionable effectiveness. In essence, a rocket was launched up a launching rail ahead of an aircraft. At a certain altitude, the rocket would deploy a parachute and cable, with the explosive dangling from it, which would slowly float back down to sea level. The unfortunate aircraft was intended to snag the cable on its wing, so detonating the aerial mine. It’s doubtful if 7074 ever fired hers, in training or anger.

HMS Hood certainly had such ‘Unrotated Projectiles’- never used, but one went up by accident while she was alongside in Gibraltar, causing injuries but no inconvenience to the enemy!

I don’t suppose the National Museum of the Royal Navy had the late comic Larry Grayson at all in mind when they decided that LCT 7074 should get her tank ramp back… highly unlikely… but very necessary to show the ship in full D-Day fig (an exact replica of the original – no-one should try to drive a tank up it.) But it certainly was a finishing touch much required. As are the Oerlikons on the bridge wings, the only armament on board that 7074 carried. An interesting “fun fact” about these guns, was that though the team looked at acquiring replicas, it was less expensive to buy the real thing. Deactivated of course (a relief to passers-by.) So they were 7074’s only means of defence – apart that is, from two ‘FAM’s. And what were they? See next blog!

If it does – salute it! Long-standing Royal Navy joke. Here on Landing Craft Tank 7074, coming back to life in the Ship Hall of Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, there’s no saluting needed. Not least because Martin Hobson, the head of ML (UK) of Portsmouth, who are doing the work, creates the right atmosphere. People just get on with it. And there’s a lot of getting on to be getting on with, as the LCT comes back to life, paint roll by paint roll, brush stroke by brush stroke: camouflaged just as she was on D-Day as she headed for Normandy and Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. In fact, Martin himself has a direct and personal connection with 7074. His grandfather served at Gold Beach during the invasion – so he probably saw the very ship his grandson is now setting to rights.

So… when you clean up, you make dirt. In the case of Landing Craft Tank 7074, a mixture of rust particles by the million, paint flecks, and simple dust. Loads of it. Which is why the ship was covered in a giant marquee during her restoration – a sort of rectangular shroud, reaching right over her from tank ramp to stern and down to the floor of the Ship Hall in HM Naval Base, Portsmouth. Everything had to be kept inside there (including filming), as this is a full-time military establishment, with security to match. But where you get dirt you need to clean up. Step forward Martin Hobson with the ML (UK) Henry hoover, cleaning up the tank deck of the LCT. Not the first thing you’d expect to find a company director doing, but that’s Martin for you.