Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

February 13, 2010

  Subject: Enquiry about WWII wreck in Western Crete-Michael Bendon (Dr)

Hi Mac (if I may)

Came across your site by chance while searching and thought I should make contact with you. I am an
archaeologist and adjacent to the site I work now in Western Crete there is a WWII wreck. I have tentatively identified this as a British landing craft that was sunk by the Luftwaffe towards the end of May 1941. The vessel appears to be a Landing Craft Tank (LCT) sometimes referred to as an "$B!H(BA$B!I(B" Lighter. I would like to put together a history of the vessel up to and including its demise. I have narrowed down identification to either the A 6 or the A 20 (LCT). I have eye witnesses that attest to there having been Aussies and Kiwis (as well as Brits) among the crew/passengers. Some escaped but most captured with one shot on the beach. Initial enquiries to people supposedly in the know said "no landing craft that far west" but I had the wreck and now I have the documentation that says these two LCT were despatched from Souda. Note that both vessels are still listed as 'lost' in the British records. Any advice or direction that may help me would be appreciated. We may actually, if funding ever became available search for the other LCT that is appearently in deeper water (also I am an underwater archaeologist) and we think we may also have the plane nearby, so as I say any advice as I am really new to WWII research usually working much much earlier sites.

Thank you and best regards
Michael Bendon (Dr)

Michael,

Thank you for your interesting mail, see this URL: http://ww2lct.org/reunion/books/TheLCTStory.htm
for some history of the LCT.

Do you have the registered number of the sunken LCT you have been working on?

I will come back to you later.

Regards,
Mac.


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