HMS REGGIO L 3511 was a a tank landing ship (LST) Mk 3, of which 80 were built by Canada and the UK. She was built as LST 3511 by Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. at Lauzon, Quebec, Canada and was launched in November 1944, commissioning in mid-September 1945 and thus missed the Second World War.
Moored at Bighi Bay, Malta back to 10th July 1953.
In 1947 she was renamed HMS REGGIO. Several of Reggio’s sister units were chartered by the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company after the end of WWII and were effectively the forerunners of today’s RO-RO ferries around the British Isles. All were recalled by the Royal Navy to participate in the Suez landings and then returned to their commercial activities. And she was part of the Amphibious Warfare Squadron,Mediterranean.
I’m not sure when she acquired the six gravity davits for LCAs that can be seen above – not all of the Mk 3s were modified like this. She had a full-load displacement of almost 4,300 tonnes and was 105m in length, with a beam of 16m and draught of 3.78m (aft). Steam reciprocating engines produced 5,500 hp for twin screws that propelled her at up to 13 kt. Crew was just over 100 officers and men; an additional 160+ troops associated with the embarked vehicles could be carried. The Mk 3 could carry 10 tanks and up to 15 other vehicles (the latter total presumably when the upper deck was clear of davits!).
She took part in the amphibious landings during the Suez Crisis in 1956 and was sold for scrap in 1960.
