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An attempt to raise a D-Day landing craft from the bottom of Birkenhead Docks today were underway today.

The LCT Landfall, regarded as one of Britain’s most historic ships as the last survivor of the 4,000 craft which took part in the landings 70 years ago, should be raised by a heavy lift ship from her watery tomb on the floor of the East Float Birkenhead after four years.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth, has received a £916,000 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund to raise and move Landfall to BAe Systems Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth, Hampshire, for restoration.

The museum described 187ft long Landfall’s rescue as “hugely important and a fantastic story.”

The Mark III LCT’s future has been uncertain ever since her former owner, the Warship Preservation Trust, went into liquidation in 2006 and it was most likely the craft would fall apart and be broken up.

With no Trust staff to maintain Landfall and keep her pumped out, she eventually sank four years ago. In spite of repeated calls to raise and preserve her locally on Merseyside no viable plan emerged and ownership passed by default to the dock owner, Peel Group.

As LCT 7074, Landfall made 32 round trips on D-Day delivering troops and equipment onto the Normandy beaches as part of the Allies’ Overlord invastion of Europe and received bomb damage which almost ruptured her watertight vehicle bow ramp.

Operation Neptune in numbers 195k Number of personnel assigned 11,590 Number of aircrafts 6,883 Number of ships deployed 56 Number of Allied sunk ships

Called Operation Neptune and involving 6,883 vessels, this remains the biggest amphibious invasion force in world history.

Landfall was first saved from the breakers in 1948 to become the Master Mariners’ Club, in Canning Dock, Liverpool, and then in the 1970s a nightclub (featured in the film Letter To Brezhnev).

It is rumoured Hollywood director Steven Spielberg wanted the vessel for his WWII blockbuster Saving Private Ryan.

As one of only two original LCTs left in the world and and only British built example, Landfall is listed on the UK’s National Historic Ship Register.

After restoration the craft’s final home is likely to be the D-Day Museum, in Southsea, near Portsmouth.

Nick Hewitt, the museum’s strategic development director, said: “Divers are making the final checks on Landfall and we hope to start raising her this (Wednesday) afternoon.

“The vessel is in better condition than expected and we’ve had superb support from local contractors and Salvesen’s diving support team.”

Martyn Heighton, National Historic Ships director, said: “We’re thrilled that Landfall is finally to be saved.”