University of Wisconsin - Extension

An LCT103/World War II Land Craft in the harbor of Bayfield, Wis., is the subject of a historic investigation on the PBS program History Detectives airing at

8 p.m. Monday, July 5 on Wisconsin Public Television (WPT).

The craft used for dredging and hauling rocks may hold a dramatic secret. A local man whose father fought in the World War II claims that 60 years ago the vessel played a vital role in the D-Day landings, transporting American tanks onto the beaches of Normandy. Could this ship really be one of the 1,500 Landing Craft Tanks designed and built to support the amphibious landings of the war? And did it really see action off the beaches of France? History Detectives visited Bayfield to uncover the mystery.

Each episode of the History Detectives series reveals the historical significance of artifacts, buildings and legends from cities and towns across America, as four gumshoes tackle intriguing and unanswered mysteries by utilizing the best in the fields of forensics, research, architecture and archaeology.

In 2004, WPT celebrates 50 years of service to Wisconsin individuals and families. WHA-TV, Madison, signed on the air on May 3, 1954.

WPT is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

Wisconsin Public Television is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV/DT, Madison; WPNE-TV/DT, Green Bay; WHRM-TV/DT, Wausau; WLEF-TV/DT; WLEF-TV/DT, Park Falls; WHLA-TV/DT, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV/DT, Menomonie-Eau Claire.