麻豆社

In February 1915, Walter Pollock of James Pollock & Son was asked by the Admiralty to design and oversee the construction of 200 motor landing craft for the Gallipoli campaign.

They were called X lighters and most of them were built in the North-East of England; the largest proportion of shipyards in Sunderland.
They had a spoon-shaped bow for the steep shelving beaches and a ramp. Some were used to carry water, others to carry troops, horses and guns.

They were used with great success during the withdrawal of troops and animals in January 1918 at the end of the ill-fated campaign.

After the war, many of the X lighters were sold off to shipping firms or foreign governments. However, five were used in the Dunkirk evacuations of World War Two. All of them returned.

Location: Pallion Quay, Sunderland SR4 6TQ
Image courtesy of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens