Why Stalker?
Stalker was chosen by the Trust because she falls within the ‘Objects of the Trust’. She is 80% original as built in 1945. She still has both her main engines, both boilers and all the equipment to operate the bow doors and ramps, she also has the original hull and fire pumps, ballast pumps, all her steering gear equipment even the original ships gyro on the starboard side of the ship. Yes she does have upper deck equipment missing but this is nothing that cannot be replaced or re- manufactured.

This is why she was chosen by the Trust. She is also a time capsule the last remaining Steam Powered Landing Ship Tank left in the world today! Stalker belongs to an era when the world was at war, where technology was pushed to its limits through necessity!

This vessel was designed to fill a gap in the Royal Navy’s Assault Craft, the main characteristics required by the MOD for this new design of LST where: -

• To embark and disembark tanks, other forms of motor transport, etc onto beaches of varying slopes, and to be able to launch into deep-water amphibians and DD Sherman tanks.
• To carry five Landing Craft Assault (LCA) craft or similar craft and one Landing Craft Tank (LCT) Mk5 or one LCT Mk6 on the upper deck at the expense of motor transport and, as an alternative to LCT Mk5 two NL causeway sections to be carried; the LCT Mk5 and LCT Mk6 along with the NL causeway sections where also to be capable of being launched direct from the upper deck.
• To carry 500 tons of military loads and to beach with military load and to carry sufficient fuel and stores for a 1000 mile return journey at a speed of 10knts, on draughts of 4ft 6in forward and 11ft 6in aft.
• To be capable of carrying a maximum load of 60 tons over the main ramp and 10 tons the vehicle ramp.
• To be fitted out for operations in the tropics and in cold climates.

The design also called for a speed of 13kts in a deep condition and 13.5kts in a beaching condition using the frigate-type machinery. This machinery was chosen because the locomotive type diesels used in the American LST Mk2’s could not be obtained. The frigate-type machinery was steam powered and at the time was more or less readily available, it was ‘old technology’ but it worked. So here we have a ‘new design’ vessel but with old type engines! These engines are known as ‘Four Cylinder Triple Expansion Steam Reciprocating’ and although at the time they where readily available now they have become very rare and are themselves ‘Historic Maritime Artifacts’ as is all the other machinery that survives with in this vessel. This then from a Marine Technology standpoint makes this vessel and all its machinery a valuable and irreplaceable maritime artifact truly a vessel of ‘Extraordinary Maritime Importance’.



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