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USS Meeker County (LST-980)
USS ''Meeker County'' (LST-980) was an built for the United States Navy during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation. Later named after Meeker County, Minnesota, she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name. Construction Originally laid down as ''LST-980'' on 22 December 1943, at the Boston Navy Yard; the ship was launched on 10 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Orrion R. Hewitt; and commissioned on 19 March 1944. Service history World War II, 1944–1945 In April 1944, after completing shakedown exercises in Chesapeake Bay, ''LST-980'' loaded equipment and got underway for England, where plans for the invasion of France had been stalled in debate over the need for shipping, a need and resultant disagreement so acute that Prime Minister Winston Churchill had quipped, "''The destinies of two great empires...seem to be tied up in some God-damned things called LSTs''." Upon arriving in England ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Landing Vehicle Tracked
The Amphibious Vehicle, Tracked (LVT) is an amphibious warfare vehicle and amphibious landing craft, introduced by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. (The USN and USMC use "L" to designate Amphibious vessels, also called "L class.") The United States Army, Canadian Army and British Army used several LVT models during World War II, and referred to those vehicles as "Landing Vehicle, Tracked." Originally intended solely as cargo carriers for ship to shore operations, they evolved into assault troop and fire support vehicles. The types were known as amphtrack, "amtrak", "amtrac", etc. (portmanteaus of "amphibious tractor"), and "alligator" or "gator." Development The Alligator The LVT had its origins in a civilian rescue vehicle called the ''Alligator''. Developed by Donald Roebling in 1935, the Alligator was intended to operate in swampy areas, inaccessible to both traditional cars and boats. Two years later, Roebling built a redesigned vehicle wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
