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A last visit to #LCT7074 this morning, before she opens to the public tomorrow. She looks absolutely fantastic – nowhere else can you walk onto a Landing Craft Tank loaded with real tanks. She's chock full of incredible D-Day detail as well.
I've already tweeted on the meaning behind the various letters and numbers on her bow, but this is also really well explained on board: https://twitter.com/SeaSpitfires/status/1298561694525005825
And the tanks, one of which represents a tank that was on board on D-Day. https://twitter.com/SeaSpitfires/status/1300743318108803073
The final marking is now in place – the Landing Table Index Number on a board hung from the bridge. So what's this one all about?
To organise the landings on D-Day and to make sure everyone beached at the correct place at the right time, all troops and tanks were organised into 'loads' for each vessel. Each load was given a number, blocks of which were allocated to each Commonwealth task force.
The numbers in each block dictated the order of beaching – lowest first. Commanders in each wave worked out where they wanted men to land and assigned them to specific loads accordingly. These were then organised into Landing Tables. Here's an example from D-Day planning.
The numbers were termed 'Landing Table Index Numbers' and became each unit's key number. The same numbers were then applied to landing craft of the appropriate type and size. Armour on LCTs, infantry on LCIs or LCAs. 
IWM A23670
IWM A23670
All the planning was worked out a higher level, so the ordinary soldier only needed to get on the vessel with his assigned LTIN, and he would be landed at the correct time and place on D-Day. These numbers were therefore applied to vehicles as well, to ensure everything matched.
The LTINs are the key number throughout the D-Day planning and orders – used in embarkation, mooring, sailing and beaching plans. Notice 3517, #LCT7074's LTIN, below right.
A useful benefit for the RN was that if a landing craft suddenly became unavailable before embarkation, they could replace the vessel and simply assign it the original LTIN – the Army would be none the wiser.
On the flip side, they are a bit of a pain for D-Day historians. No master lists of which landing craft were assigned which LTINs exist. Only one task force included pennants and LTINs in their embarkation records, and they may well have changed (as above).
Soldiers who embarked on landing craft tend to remember the LTIN rather than the landing craft pennant. This is to be expected – the LTIN was the number they needed to remember and, when on the tank deck, the only number they could see above them on the bridge. IWM A23669
IWM A23669
Many LTIN/landing craft pennant numbers can be worked out using old photos or comparing plans with reports. Usually by reference to 5 documents I can get close to a match. But some are unfortunately impossible to ascertain. #LCT7074's took a bit of work, but it was well worth it.
I shall miss my intimate time on 7074, when it was literally just me on board all day, crawling around in narrow spaces and recording the evidence of her history. Bizarrely, this is recorded for posterity by Alamy now! https://www.alamy.com/previously-unissued-picture-dated-180419-of-marine-archaeologist-stephen-fisher-taking-measurements-inside-the-world-war-two-landing-craft-lct-7074-as-restoration-work-is-undertaken-at-the-naval-base-in-portsmouth-prior-to-it-moving-to-its-final-home-at-the-d-day-story-in-southsea-image369286283.html
But she has a new role now, with a fresh future ahead of her and a bigger, more important story to tell. She's not just mine any more, she's everyone's.
So, fair seas #LCT7074.
So, fair seas #LCT7074.
