Last surviving D-Day tank landing craft arrives in Southsea ahead of museum move
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
The last surviving tank landing craft used at D-Day has arrived in Southsea as part of its move to a museum.
LCT 7074 was restored at the Portsmouth Naval Base in a £4.7 million project and will go on to grace Southsea Common in front of the D-Day Story museum.
But moving the 59-metre 300-ton vessel has proved tricky, with an attempt on Saturday night called off due to high winds.
The LCT 7074 was floated as far as the coastline of Southsea before the accompanying tug boats were forced to tow her back to the naval base.
Restoration of the vessel was overseen by the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) and Portsmouth City Council and the move had originally been planned for June.
Nick Hewitt, head of collections and research for the NMRN, posted in the early hours of Monday saying the vessel had arrived in Southsea and workers were waiting for the tide to go out.
He said: “Amazing! Lined up, smooth as anything. The comparison to last night is incredible. Now we wait for the tide to go out so she sits on the pad.”
Once onshore, LCT 7074 will be taken to the museum via crane and will sit under a canopy.
