ALC-40 landing barge (unknown)

Swan River

ALC-40 is the remains of an Australian Landing Craft originally powered by four 100hp inboard petrol engines, used to carry vehicles and troops for beach landings. In difficulty drifting off the Western Australian coast sometime around in 1942-43, it was towed into the Swan River by the Royal Australian Navy and moored off the Torpedo Jetty, where it subsequently broke its mooring in a storm and sank in its current position 50m from shore in about 10m of water, immediately down stream from the East Fremantle Yacht Club. After its loss, ALC-40 was stripped of all machinery. The wreck measures 18.6m long, 5.4m wide and 0.8m deep, and is reported to be a site with good visibility during an incoming tide (Scrimshaw, 1980:7)

‘In 1942 there were three models of Australian Landing Craft (ALCs). The suffix after the ALC denoted their load capacity. So an ALC40 was a 40 ton capacity Landing Craft. Two extra models were introduced in 1944.

Prior to December 1942, the smaller ALC's (32' x 38' x 44') were manufactured at the Ford Factory at Eagle Farm in Brisbane. The two smaller ALC's (ALC5 and ALC20) were built in four sections. The steel hull and the side plates were dipped in sulphuric acid and then washed in phosphoric acid before being coated with zinc chromate.

The ALCs were then assembled at Boggy Creek near Pinkenba on the northern side of the Brisbane River not far from the mouth of the river. It did not take long to realise that the ALC5 and ALC20 were not suitable for the task ahead. They lacked any adequate sea going capability, had only a range of about 70 to 10 miles, had no accommodation facilities and offered little protection in the event of a surface vessel attack. The ALC40 was devised in 1943 by cutting the ends off two ALC20's and welding them together. They were manufactured at both the Eagle Farm (Brisbane) and Corio Bay (Geelong) factories of the Ford Motor Company.’ (http://www.ozatwar.com/vehicles/alc.htm, 14/12/2015)