Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank

HMAV Abbeville beached in Village Bay, St Kilda, Scotland.
Class overview
Name	Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank
Builders	See Construction
Operators	Royal Navy British Army Royal Malaysian Navy French Navy Singaporean Navy Military of Comoros
Planned	187
Completed	30 for military service
Cancelled	151 (6 completed and sold into civilian service)
General characteristics
Type	Landing craft tank
Displacement	1,017 tons maximum
Length	225 ft (69 m) between perpendiculars 231.2 ft (70.5 m) overall
Beam	38 ft (12 m)
Draught	4 feet 8 inches (1.42 m) forward, 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m) aft at 880 tons displacement
Propulsion	4 × Davey Paxman 12TPM engines 1,600 brake horsepower (1,200 kW) (capped maximum) 2 shafts
Speed	8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) cruising 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) maximum
Range	4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Capacity	8 x 30-ton tanks, 13 x 3-ton trucks, or 350 tons of cargo
Troops	42 (vehicle crews)
Complement	25 (designed) 33 to 37 (as of 1968)
Armament	4 x 20 mm Oerlikons

The Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank (also referred to as the LCT (8) or LCT Mark VIII) were landing craft tank ships operated by the British Armed Forces. The vessels were based on an American design, but improved into ocean-going vessels capable of sailing to and operating in the Far East.

Although 187 vessels were ordered, the end of the Second World War meant that only 30 were completed for service in the Royal Navy, while another 6 were sold to civilian parties. Twelve of the Royal Navy vessels were, from 1957, transferred to the British Army; these were initially operated by the Royal Army Service Corps, which then became the Royal Corps of Transport. Between 1958 and 1966, the other 18 Royal Navy ships were transferred or sold to foreign navies or civilian companies, converted for other uses, or otherwise disposed of. Several Army Mark 8s were also sold to foreign powers, with the design operated by the Royal Malaysian Navy, the French Navy, the Singaporean Navy, and the Military of Comoros.

During their service life, vessels of the class operated during the Suez Crisis and Indonesian Confrontation, and were involved in the setup and supply to guided weapons bases in the Hebrides as part of Operation Hardrock, primarily ferrying equipment from Cairnryan, near Stranraer, to the remote island of St. Kilda.

Eventually, they were replaced by Round Table class ships.^[1]