Amphibious landing craft (military impact)
Amphibious landing craft have played a crucial role in military operations, particularly during World War II, where they facilitated large-scale seaborne invasions. These specialized vessels were essential for transporting troops and supplies from ocean-going ships to the beaches of enemy-held territories. The diversity of landing craft ranged from small vehicles like the DUKW, which could carry supplies directly to shore, to larger vessels like the Landing Ship, Tank (LST), capable of delivering multiple tanks and heavy equipment. Other significant designs included the Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP), which could transport troops efficiently, and the Landing Craft, Mechanized (LCM), designed for heavier loads.
The effectiveness of amphibious operations was instrumental in the success of the Allied forces, allowing them to execute coordinated land and sea assaults against fortified positions. As military technology evolved post-1950s, helicopters began to take precedence in amphibious assaults due to their speed and flexibility, while traditional landing craft transitioned primarily to logistical support roles. Today, while many modern navies retain amphibious capabilities, the methods and technologies used in such operations have significantly advanced since their inception.
Amphibious landing craft (military impact)
Military vehicles used to transport troops directly from oceans to beaches
Amphibious landing craft provided the means to assault enemy-held beaches directly from the sea without access to a port or harbor. As World War II spread across the globe, amphibious warfare became a means of surprising the enemy and seizing vital territories to gain a military advantage.
Although there were several ad hoc attempts at amphibious warfare by the British during World War I and the Japanese during the 1930’s, the first large-scale seaborne invasions occurred during World War II. Both the United States and Great Britain needed amphibious forces. They required the capability to invade Europe to defeat the Germans, and the United States needed specialized landing craft on its island-hopping campaign against the Japanese in the Pacific. Both tasks demanded large numbers of specialized landing craft capable of moving men and material from large oceangoing ships to the beaches to be invaded. Some craft were ships designed to run themselves onto the shore, while others remained in deeper water to accomplish their tasks.
Landing craft ranged from the small and simple to the large and complex. At the small end of the range was the DUKW, a 2.5-ton truck fitted with a boat hull that enabled it to float. DUKWs could float out to ships to take on a load, carry it to the beach, and then drive inland to deliver it. Slightly larger was the Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP), or Higgins boat. Thirty-six feet long, weighing eight tons, and made mostly of plywood, the LCVP drew only twelve inches of water. Its designer, Andrew Higgins, created the boat for use in Louisiana bayous, but the military found it ideal for bringing either 30 men or 4 tons of cargo directly onto a beach. Higgins and other subcontractors built more than twenty thousand of the utilitarian LCVPs during the war.
The Landing Craft, Mechanized (LCM) was an upsized LCVP capable of carrying 120 men or a 30-ton tank. Larger still was the Landing Craft, Tank (LCT), which, in its later versions, could carry four tanks over a distance of 700 miles. The personnel equivalent of the LCT was the Landing Craft, Infantry (LCI). Originally designed as a “large raiding craft” for commando operations, the LCI was a 300-ton ship capable of carrying 200 soldiers or 75 tons of cargo for a longer distance and at higher speed than an LCMP or LCM. The largest craft that landed on the beach, however, was the landing ship, tank (LST). Displacing nearly 5,000 tons but drawing only 8 feet of water, the LST (or “Large Slow Target,” as crews grimly called it) could carry 18 tanks or equivalent cargo in a single delivery.
Other craft stayed offshore because of their size or task. Landing Craft, Control (LCC) were direction ships used to guide landing craft onto their designated beaches. Reinforcements arrived in Amphibious Assault Transports (APA), while their supplies were carried in Amphibious Cargo Ships (AKA). Because neither APAs nor AKAs carried sufficient landing craft to move everything in one trip, Landing Ship, Dock (LSD) craft carried only extra landing craft, for use by other ships.
Impact
Without landing craft, Allied victory in World War II seemed unlikely. Considering the density of enemy fortifications and numbers in some areas, amphibious assaults were the only means of success. Because amphibious warfare proved so vital to victory, most modern major navies possess the ability, albeit limited in some cases, to conduct amphibious warfare. After the 1950’s, however, the helicopter, with its greater speed and flexibility, became the primary means of amphibious assault, with traditional landing craft used mostly for moving supplies.
Bibliography
Friedman, Norman. U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2002. An exhaustive study that describes the technical development of every amphibious warfare ship employed by the United States.
Lovering, Tristan T. Amphibious Assault: Manoeuvre from the Sea. Woodbridge, England: Seafarer Books, 2007. An excellent history of amphibious warfare from its origins to its modern practice, with an emphasis on the strategic value of amphibious warfare’s ability to shock and surprise.
Strahan, Jerry E. Andrew Jackson Higgins and the Boats That Won World War II. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1994. A thorough biography of the colorful character who conceived, designed, and built the most important landing craft of all.