Landing Craft Infantry Small (LCI(S)526

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aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Landing Craft Infantry Small (LCI(S)526

Post by aukepalmhof » Sat Jun 08, 2019 4:07 am

About D-Day
The 6th June 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the largest combined naval, air and land operation in the history of warfare. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. Codenamed Operation 'Overlord', the Allied landings on the Normandy beaches marked the start of a long and costly campaign to liberate north-west Europe from German occupation. Early on 6 June, Allied airborne forces parachuted into drop zones across northern France. Ground troops then landed across five assault beaches - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold along the coast and could begin their advance into France.
Royal Mail is marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and its indelible impact on the outcome of WW2 with this set of stamps and products.
Two stamps have a maritime theme:

1st Class
HMS WARSPITE, part of Bombardment Force ‘D’, shelling German gun batteries in support of the landings on Sword on 6 June 1944. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9921&p=10275#p10275

£1.35
Commandos of HQ 4th Special Service Brigade leaving their landing craft and wading ashore on Juno.

I found the photo on the net with the caption: Headquarters personnel of the 4th Special service Brigade, making their way from LCI(S) (Landing Craft Infantry Small) onto “Nan Red Beach” JUNO area at St Aubin-sur-Mer at about 9 am on 06 June 1944 (Wikipedia)

https://www.wopa-plus.com/en/stamps/product/&pgid=55523

The book The D-Day Ships by John de S. Winser gives for the LCI(S) that this craft assembled Solent area.
The following British craft took part in the landings: the numbers 501-510 and 512-540, altogether 37 LCI(S).

Which craft is depicted on the stamp I am not sure the pennant No is very vague. The number starts with a 5 but the other two numbers which are visible I could not read.
I found later on the D-Day stamp of Tristan da Cunha were the numbers are more clearer that she is the LCI(S) 526 which was built in 1942 by the Itchenor Shipyard in the U.K. She took part in the D-Day landing with her sisters.
Her fate is not known.

The British reworked their need for a raiding vessel into something that could be produced natively without making demands on limited resources. Fairmile Marine had already designed a number of small military vessels that were built in wood and they produced the Fairmile Type H which was another prefabricated wooden design. This was taken on as the Landing Craft Infantry (Small) or LCI(S). One Fairmile "H" still survives a veteran of D-Day and the costly assault on Walcheren, it is a houseboat on the River Adur, Shoreham by sea West Sussex,England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_C ... try#LCI(S)

The number 512,517,524,531,540 was sunk by the landings.

The details of this craft were:
Built on various shipyards in the United Kingdom.
Displacement standard, 63ton, full load 110ton. Dim. 32.0 x 6.53 x 1.08m (draught).
Powered by two Hall-Scott petrol engines, 1120 or 1500 hp, twin shafts, speed maximum 15 knots.
Bunker capacity petrol 12.7 ton.
Range by a speed of 12.5 knots, 700 mile.
Armour deck, hull sides, guns, forward bulkhead, generator room, and bridge.
Armament: 2 x 1-20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/VI, 2 x 1 – 7.7/87.
Could carry 102 troops, crew 17.

http://www.navypedia.org/ships/uk/brit_aws_lcis.htm
Great Britain £1.35 sg?, scott?
Attachments
LCI(S).gif
Landings_at_St_Aubin-sur-Mer.jpg
2019 Landing Craft Infantery Small.jpg
2019 LCI(small).jpg

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