To The Beach And Beyond Amphibious Assault

The development of ship-to-shore landing vessels means more volume arriving per trip at higher speed.

- Stephen W. Miller

The amphibious operation is considered by many military analysts and historians as the most difficult naval expeditionary operation. Its objective is to transition forces and their supporting vehicles and logistics from the sea to the land. As early efforts to move troops and supplies from ships to the beach using existing boats proved inadequate, it increasingly became clear that specially designed craft would be essential.

By the mid-1930s landing craft designs were being introduced by forces of the Japanese, the Soviets, the British and the US Marine Corps (USMC). These solutions were very similar and even drawing from each other. Each used a relatively flat bottom with the engine and most weight aft. This lowered draft forward facilitating beaching the craft. A powerful engine allowed the craft to back off the beach. Most used a propeller drive located in a ‘tunnel’ to protect it from damage in shallow water. The Royal Navy (RN), however, did field prototypes of a simple water jet propulsion design by Samuel Wright. A feature that was also widely adopted was the bow ramp. Seen on the Japanese 14 metre Daihatsuclass landing craft used from 1937 to 1945, the benefits were quickly recognised by other military observers. The USMC encouraged Andrews Higgins to include such a ramp on his landing craft design that they were acquiring. His Landing Craft Vehicle & Personnel (LCVP) became the most widely used craft of its type with over 23,300 produced and fielded. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in World War II, stated that the LCVP “won the war”. It also contributed to establishing the amphibious landing as a viable operation.