Landing craft are small vessels used for transporting or carrying military forces across the ocean. They are typically used during an amphibious assault to transport or carry ground forces (such as infantry and armored vehicles) from the opposite shore. Notable and extensive uses include the Normandy landings in France during World War II, the Mediterranean, and numerous Pacific island and beach battles. In the age of sail, smaller boats on larger ships were used as landing craft, but the advent of steamships meant that smaller vessels became too small, leading to the design and creation of landing craft by specialists specifically for amphibious purposes.
Due to the need for a large number of landing craft in the later stages of World War II, Britain and the United States designed a significant number of landing craft of various designs. Because they needed to be suitable for beach use, they were mostly flat-bottomed, and often featured a flat-bottomed drawbridge instead of a traditional bow. This made them difficult to control in rough seas and caused significant discomfort for passengers.
