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116-412: An amphibious warfare ship (or amphib ) is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines , on enemy territory during an amphibious assault . Specialized shipping can be divided into two types, most crudely described as ships and craft. In general, the ships carry the troops from the port of embarkation to the drop point for the assault and the craft carry

232-432: A sail -powered wagon in 1849. On testing, it reportedly tipped over 50 feet (15 m) from shore, from an apparent lack of ballast to counteract the force of the wind in the sail. In the 1870s, logging companies in eastern Canada and the northern United States developed a steam-powered amphibious tug called an "Alligator" which could cross between lakes and rivers. The most successful Alligator tugs were produced by

348-631: A barrage onto the beach to clear mines and other obstructions. Having discharged its mortars and its duty, the LCA(HR) would leave the beach area. They were towed to the beach by larger craft, such as the LCTs that carried the Royal Engineer assault teams with their specialist vehicles and equipment , who would complete the beach clearance. Three flotillas (of 18, 18 and 9 craft) were used at Juno, Gold and Sword beaches. The Landing Craft Flak (LCF)

464-409: A box-like appearance, having a square bow and stern. To prevent fouling of the propellers in a craft destined to spend time in surf and possibly be beached, a crude waterjet propulsion system was devised by White's designers. A Hotchkiss petrol engine drove a centrifugal pump which produced a jet of water, pushing the craft ahead or astern, and steering it, according to how the jet was directed. Speed

580-675: A cargo ship or carried pre-assembled on the flat deck of a Landing Ship, Tank (LST). The Mk.5 would be launched by heeling the LST on its beam to let the craft slide off its chocks into the sea, or cargo ships could lower each of the three sections into the sea where they were joined. A further development was the Landing Ship, Tank designation, built to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore. The British evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940 demonstrated to

696-690: A ferry or as a floating bridge for trucks and heavy combat vehicles. Gibbs has also developed other types of fast amphibians including the Phibian, a 30-foot (9.1 m) amphibian that is aimed at first responder market, and the Humdinga, a 21-foot (6.4 m) amphibian that is capable of traversing extreme terrain. Many modern military vehicles, ranging from light wheeled command and reconnaissance vehicles, through armoured personnel carriers (APCs), tanks and amphibious warfare ships , are manufactured with amphibious capabilities. The French Panhard VBL

812-516: A half hours for the dock to be flooded down and two and half to pump it out. When flooded they could also be used as docks for repairs to small craft. Due to their small size, most amphibious ships were not given names and were just given serial numbers, for example, LCT 304 . The LSTs were an exception to this, since they were similar in size to a small cruiser . In addition, three British-built LSTs were named: HMS  Boxer , HMS  Bruiser and HMS  Thruster ; these were all larger than

928-522: A length of 192 feet (59 m) and a displacement of 640 tons. Even with this extra weight, the vessel was slightly faster than the Mark 1. The Mk.3 was accepted on 8 April 1941. The Mark 4 was slightly shorter and lighter than the Mk.3, but had a much wider beam (38 ft 9 in (11.81 m)) and was intended for cross channel operations as opposed to seagoing use. When tested in early assault operations, like

1044-636: A number of amphibious APCs, fighting vehicles and tanks, both wheeled and tracked. Most of the vehicles the Soviets designed were amphibious or could ford deep water. Wheeled examples are the BRDM-1 and BRDM-2 4x4 armoured scout cars, as well as the BTR-60 , BTR-70 , BTR-80 and BTR-94 8x8 APCs and the BTR-90 infantry fighting vehicle . The M29 Weasel (Studebaker Weasel), whilst originally designed as

1160-555: A ramp on the bow for disembarkation. A plan was devised to land British heavy tanks from pontoons in support of the Third Battle of Ypres , but this was abandoned. During the inter-war period , the combination of the negative experience at Gallipoli and economic stringency contributed to the delay in procuring equipment and adopting a universal doctrine for amphibious operations in the Royal Navy . Despite this outlook,

1276-433: A result of a British requirement for a vessel that could carry large landing craft across the seas at speed. The first LSD came from a design by Sir Roland Baker and was an answer to the problem of launching small craft rapidly. The Landing Ship Stern Chute, which was a converted train ferry, was an early attempt. Thirteen Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) could be launched from these ships down the chute. The Landing Ship Gantry

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1392-653: A result, each of the three ( Boxer , Bruiser , and Thruster ) ordered in March 1941 had a very long ramp stowed behind the bow doors. In November 1941, a small delegation from the British Admiralty arrived in the United States to pool ideas with the United States Navy 's Bureau of Ships with regard to the development of ships and also including the possibility of building further Boxer s in

1508-477: A similar load while drawing only 3 feet forward when beaching. Congress provided the authority for the construction of LSTs along with a host of other auxiliaries, destroyer escorts , and assorted landing craft. The enormous building program quickly gathered momentum. Such a high priority was assigned to the construction of LSTs that the previously laid keel of an aircraft carrier was hastily removed to make room for several LSTs to be built in her place. The keel of

1624-407: A similar way to a paddle wheel . The SBK Engineering Shuttle-Bike consists of two inflatable floats with straps that allow the carrying of a bicycle with a passenger. The ensemble, when deflated, fits in a backpack for carrying by the cyclist. Several amphibious cycles have been created by engineering students as university projects. Gibbs Sports Amphibians Inc. introduced a motorized version of

1740-838: A snow vehicle, operated successfully in an amphibious role by the addition of front and rear floats. The basic vehicle will float but its bow is square so the additional floats add stability and load carrying capacity. Tracked armored vehicles with amphibious capabilities include those that are intended for use in amphibious assault . The United States started developing a long line of LVT ( Landing Vehicle Tracked ) designs from around 1940. Many tracked armored vehicles that are primarily intended for land-use, such as armoured fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers nevertheless also have amphibious ability, tactically useful inland, reducing dependence on destroyable and easily targeted bridges. To provide motive power, they use their tracks , sometimes with an added propeller or water jets. As long as

1856-496: A vehicle through muddy terrain with a twisting motion. Most land vehicles – even lightly armoured ones – can be made amphibious simply by providing them with a waterproof hull and perhaps a propeller. This is possible as a vehicle's displacement is usually greater than its weight, and thus it will float. Heavily armoured vehicles however sometimes have a density greater than water (their weight in kilograms exceeds their volume in litres ) and will need additional buoyancy , in

1972-447: A watercraft or a land vehicle. The design that came together with all the features needed for a practical all-terrain amphibious vehicle was by Peter Prell of New Jersey. His design, unlike others, could operate not only on rivers and lakes but the sea and did not require firm ground to enter or exit the water. It combined a boat-like hull with tank-like tracks. In 1931, he tested a scaled down version of his invention. An amphibious cycle

2088-587: A week, and inexpensive and easy to build. Admiral Maund , director of the Inter-Service Training and Development Centre (which had developed the Landing Craft Assault), gave the job to naval architect Sir Roland Baker, who within three days completed initial drawings for a 152-foot (46 m) landing craft with a 29-foot (8.8 m) beam and a shallow draft. Ship builders Fairfields and John Brown agreed to work out details for

2204-406: Is a human-powered vehicle capable of operation on both land and water. "Saidullah's Bicycle" uses four rectangular air filled floats for buoyancy, and is propelled using two fan blades which are attached to the spokes. Moraga's "Cyclo Amphibious" uses a simple tricycle frame to support three floaters which provide both the floatation and thrust. The wings on the powered wheels propel the vehicle in

2320-532: Is a compact, lightly armoured 4x4 all-terrain vehicle that is fully amphibious and can swim at 5.4 km/h (3.4 mph). The VAB is a French fully amphibious APC, powered in the water by two water jets, mounted one on either side of the rear hull ( see detail picture above ). It entered service in 1976 and around 5000 were produced in many configurations. During the Cold War the Soviet bloc states developed

2436-481: Is capable of traversing swamps, ponds, and streams as well as dry land. On land these units have high grip and great off-road ability, that can be further enhanced with an optional set of tracks that can be mounted directly onto the wheels. Although the spinning action of the tires is enough to propel the vehicle through the water – albeit slowly – outboard motors can be added for extended water use. In October 2013, Gibbs Amphibians introduced

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2552-565: The Admiralty that the Allies needed relatively large, ocean-going ships capable of shore-to-shore delivery of tanks and other vehicles in amphibious assaults upon the continent of Europe. The first purpose-built LST design was HMS  Boxer . To carry 13 Churchill infantry tanks , 27 vehicles and nearly 200 men (in addition to the crew) at a speed of 18 knots, it could not have the shallow draught that would have made for easy unloading. As

2668-796: The Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier of Singapore. Amphibious warfare (United States) The United States' first role in amphibious warfare was inaugurated when the Continental Marines made their first amphibious landing on the beaches of the Bahamas during the Battle of Nassau on 3 March 1776. Even during the Civil War, the United States Navy 's ships brought ashore soldiers, sailors, and Marines to capture coastal forts. General Robert E. Lee ,

2784-886: The Caribbean , the California coast, and in the Hawaiian Islands , and which were similar to the exercises conducted by Lt. Col. Earl "Pete" Ellis on Culebra by the Advanced Base Force in January, 1914. This preparation proved invaluable in World War II , when the Marines not only spearheaded many of the attacks against Japanese -held islands in the Pacific theater of war, but also helped train

2900-889: The Confederate Army commander, declared: The victory over Spain in the Spanish–American War had greatly enabled the expansion of the United States. By the time the Treaty of Paris was ratified in 1898 the United States had annexed the Philippines in the western Pacific to influence foreign relations in China and Korea; primarily through the presence of the Asiatic Squadron . The administration of President William McKinley included Guam and

3016-454: The D-Day invasion had this setup. When in water the waterproof float screen was raised and propellers deployed. The M2 and M3 Bradleys also need such a skirt. At the end of World War I a Mark IX tank had drums attached to the side and front and was tested as an amphibious vehicle launched into Hendon Reservoir . A modified Medium Mark D successfully swam in a river near Christchurch. By

3132-571: The Government of Chile built flat-bottomed landing craft, called chalanas . They transported 1,200 men in the first landing and took onboard 600 men in less than 2 hours for the second landing. During World War I , the mass mobilization of troops equipped with rapid-fire weapons quickly rendered such boats obsolete. Initial landings during the Gallipoli campaign took place in unmodified rowing boats that were extremely vulnerable to attack from

3248-477: The Hawaiian Islands to the south Pacific insular areas of Samoa . Also, Congress approved the Foraker Act in the annexation of Puerto Rico for the defense and protection of the newly independent Cuba from any possible foreign attack. The government also negotiated with Nicaragua and Colombia for the right to build an isthmian canal through Panama . Due to the new, vast expansion of territory,

3364-664: The Landing Craft Assault ; a separate set of requirements were laid down for a vehicle and supplies carrier, although previously the two roles had been combined in the Motor Landing Craft . J. S. White of Cowes built a prototype to the Fleming design. Eight weeks later the craft was doing trials on the River Clyde . All landing craft designs must find a compromise between two divergent priorities;

3480-709: The Navy War College concerning the setting up of advanced bases. The Advanced Base School was created in conjunction for the Advanced Base Force in New London, Connecticut in 1910. By the 1930s, the Fleet Marine Force, which consists of the United States Navy and Marine Corps was developed. During this period, they began to modernize amphibious warfare that fabricated into the seminal Tentative Landing Operations Manual which

3596-572: The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon , on each side of the bridge structure. LSTs had a somewhat heavier armament. Some landing craft were converted for special purposes either to provide defence for the other landing craft in the attack or as support weapons during the landing. The LCA(HR) was a converted British LCA. It carried a battery of 24 spigot mortars , the Royal Navy's Hedgehog anti-submarine weapon , instead of personnel. The mortars were fired as

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3712-595: The Ottoman shore defences. In February 1915, orders were placed for the design of purpose-built landing craft. A design was created in four days resulting in an order for 200 'X' lighters with a spoon-shaped bow to take shelving beaches and a drop-down frontal ramp. The first use took place after they had been towed to the Aegean and performed successfully in the 6 August landing at Suvla Bay of IX Corps , commanded by Commander Edward Unwin . 'X' lighters, known to

3828-557: The PZInż 130 but dropped the idea of amphibious tanks as obsolete. A pontoon based tank, the L1E3 , was produced by Vickers in 1939. It was tested but further work was halted during WW2. It was tested again at the end of the war. In World War II the British further developed amphibious tanks. The Crusader was trialled with two pontoons that could be attached or removed, the tracks driving

3944-757: The Splashtours brand. The buses have a Volvo chassis and carry 43 passengers. The operation started in 2010 in Katendrecht , Rotterdam, was copied in Amsterdam in 2011 but suspended in 2012 after technical problems, and then relaunched in 2019. A tour of Lübeck was launched in 2014. In 2010 it was tested as a replacement for the ferry at Renfrew, Scotland, but not adopted. A similar service, using different vehicles, operates in Porto . Some amphibious vehicles, rather than being designed for land transport with

4060-628: The Willys MB jeep, the Ford GPA or 'Seep' (short for Sea jeep ) was developed during World War II as well. A specially modified GPA, called Half-Safe , was driven and sailed around the world by Australian Ben Carlin in the 1950s. One of the most capable post-war amphibious off-roaders was the German Amphi-Ranger , that featured a hull made of seawater-resistant AlMg2 aluminium alloy. Extensively engineered, this costly vehicle

4176-540: The west Pacific . The United States Navy solely relied on the islands for refueling stations for the coal-powered navy ships; the lifeline to the naval bases in the Philippines and Guam. If such an attack was initiated by the Japanese, a system of Pacific naval bases were needed to be built, in order to put War Plan Orange into effect. The sum of it all, the Navy's war planning after 1900 assumed that maritime attacks on

4292-652: The 152 mm "gun-launcher" (which could fire the MGM-51 Shillelagh missile), and could swim across bodies of water. The M551 upon arrival in Vietnam began replacing the M48A3 Patton in all cavalry squadrons, leaving only the M48A3 in the U.S. Army's three armored battalions in Vietnam, the 1/77th, 1/69th, and the 2/34th Armor . The Sheridan needed no modifications for river crossings: crewmen simply raised

4408-561: The APC reached the other side, water would often fill the insides up to their armoured roofs, spilling through the hatches' cracks and emptying onto the earth once safely ashore. Often a fold-down trim vane is erected to stop water washing over the bow of the tank and thus reducing the risk of the vehicle being swamped via the driver's hatch. During the Cold War , the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 main battle tank carried flotation gear all

4524-895: The Army and the Marine Corps. The joint units consisted of two amphibious corps, the Amphibious Corps of the Pacific Fleet and of the Atlantic Fleet . These units represented the sum total of the amphibious forces of the United States, with the exception of small units of the Fleet Marine Force , which had been trained for amphibious raids. It was apparent that the United States Marine Corps did not have sufficient troops trained for

4640-502: The British Inter-Service Training and Development Centre proposed a new type of landing craft. Its specifications were to weigh less than ten long tons , to be able to carry the thirty-one men of a British Army platoon and five assault engineers or signallers , and to be so shallow drafted as to be able to land them, wet only up to their knees, in eighteen inches of water. All of these specifications made

4756-410: The British produced the Motor Landing Craft in 1920, based on their experience with the early 'beetle' armoured transport. The craft could put a medium tank directly onto a beach. From 1924, it was used with landing boats in annual exercises in amphibious landings. A prototype motor landing craft, designed by J. Samuel White of Cowes , was built and first sailed in 1926. It weighed 16 tons and had

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4872-767: The DUKW. An improved version of the Terrapin never got beyond prototype stage. During the war, Germany produced the Landwasserschlepper . In the 1950s, the Soviets developed the GAZ-46 , BAV 485 , and PTS . During the Vietnam War , the US Army used the amphibious articulated Gama Goat and the larger M520 Goer truck-series to move supplies through the canals and rice paddies of Southeast Asia . The latter

4988-555: The Higgins boats were developed to a final design with a ramp - the LCVP , and were produced in large numbers. The boat was a more flexible variant of the LCPR with a wider ramp. It could carry 36 troops, a small vehicle such as a jeep , or a corresponding amount of cargo. In the run-up to WWII, many specialized landing craft, both for infantry and vehicles, were developed. In November 1938,

5104-478: The Navy began to assume strategic duties unimagined before 1898. In 1900, the " General Board of the Navy " was established to foresee and make recommendations on naval policy, assuming the tasks of the nation's naval expeditionary and strategic challenges. Around this time, the General Board developed some potential war plans for possible events that may be measured if such attacks were to be aimed for

5220-528: The Sherman DD was used on D-Day to provide close fire support on the beaches during the initial landings. The Sherman DD could not fire when afloat as the buoyancy screen was higher than the gun. A number swamped and sank in the operation, due to rough weather in the English Channel (with some tanks having been launched too far out), and to turning in the current to converge on a specific point on

5336-441: The U.S. design and had proper funnels. It was soon realized that battleships , cruisers and destroyers could not necessarily provide all the fire support (including suppressive fire ) that an amphibious assault might need. Therefore, specialized vessels were developed that incorporated various direct and indirect fire weapons. These included guns and rockets which could be mounted on landing craft and landing ships. As part of

5452-525: The US. During this meeting, it was decided that the Bureau of Ships would design these vessels. The LST(2) design incorporated elements of the first British LCTs from their designer, Sir Rowland Baker, who was part of the British delegation. This included sufficient buoyancy in the ships' sidewalls that they would float even with the tank deck flooded. The LST(2) gave up the speed of HMS Boxer at only 10 knots but had

5568-424: The United Arab Emirates, with six additional vehicles being sold to the Crown Prince of Dubai. The WaterCar has also been sold to tech enthusiasts and residents of Silicon Valley. Other amphibious cars include the US Hydra Spyder and the Spira4u. Amfibus amphibious buses made by Dutch Amphibious Transport (DAT) in Nijmegen , Netherlands are used to operate tours of Amsterdam , Rotterdam and Lübeck , under

5684-414: The United States Army divisions that also participated in the island-hopping campaign. Throughout the Pacific campaign during World War II, the United States Army and Marine Corps trained the new graduated recruits in joint-amphibious operations. The Army created its own facility to accommodate the training necessary, establishing the Amphibious Training Center (ATC). The number of amphibious troops in

5800-488: The United States and Canada. The wagon was designed in such a way as to be able to cross rivers and streams. The first known self-propelled amphibious vehicle, a steam-powered wheeled dredging barge, named the Orukter Amphibolos , was conceived and built by United States inventor Oliver Evans in 1805, although it is disputed to have successfully travelled over land or water under its own steam. Inventor Gail Borden , better known for condensed milk , designed and tested

5916-417: The United States and its interests were possible in both the Pacific and the Caribbean, and given the thousands of miles the fleet would have to steam to provide security to the outermost bases of Guam, the Philippines, or of the similar. The General Board was convinced that it would require Marine expeditionary battalions that were capable in the hastily development of advanced bases, and it could not depend on

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6032-421: The United States was inadequate and the Marine Corps was undermanned due to shortages in the Department of Navy's budget. In addition, Marine Corps was not capable of extensive sustainment operations that were necessary for longer campaigns. A notable product of the ATC was the deployment of Engineer Amphibian Brigades (later called Engineer Special Brigades ). The United States Navy controlled many joint units of

6148-482: The Vietnam War, the M520 Goer developed a reputation of being able to go where other trucks could not. For taking vehicles and supplies onto the beaches the US used the 1950s designed LARC-V and the huge LARC-LX which could carry 60 tons of cargo. The British Army used the 6x6 wheeled Alvis Stalwart as their amphibious cargo carrier. In the water vectored thrust water-jet propulsion units drove it along at about 6 knots. The M3 Amphibious Rig can be used as

6264-587: The ability to cross water, are designed as water-transport vehicles with the ability to travel on land. The distinction is that the vehicles are designed to be high performing on water, with the land transport ability added to give additional functionality, rather than being the main function. Sealegs Amphibious Craft are an example of this, which are a range of aluminium three-wheeled fabricated boats (mostly RIBs ) designed and manufactured in Auckland, New Zealand since 2005. These craft can travel up to 39 knots on water, but travel at only 7.5 km/h on land, showing

6380-605: The amphibious cycle that resembles a jet ski on water and motorcycle on land. The model can reach up to 80 mph by land and 45 mph by water. Amongst the smallest non-air-cushioned amphibious vehicles are amphibious ATVs (all-terrain vehicles). These saw significant popularity in North America during the 1960s and early 1970s. Typically an amphibious ATV (AATV) is a small, lightweight, off-highway vehicle, constructed from an integral hard plastic or fibreglass bodytub, fitted with six (sometimes eight) driven wheels, with low pressure, balloon tires. With no suspension (other than what

6496-430: The battlefield, which allowed waves to breach over the screens. Those making it ashore, however, provided essential fire support in the first critical hours. Before World War II, The Soviets produced light amphibious tanks called the T-37A and T-38 . A third serial model, the T-40 , started production after the beginning of the war. A 14-ton tank, the PT-1, was created but was not mass-produced. In addition, an attempt

6612-442: The cloth sides that were tucked inside rubber tubes along the hull's upper edges, raised the driver's front shield which had an acrylic glass window, the driver turned on his bilge pumps, shifted his transmission lever to water operations and the Sheridan entered the water. For newly arrived Sheridans, this might work as engineered. For "war-weary" M551s, the driver's window was often "yellowed" or cracked as to obscure his vision, and

6728-408: The company launched their first commercial vehicle, The Panther, which has been featured on ABC's The Bachelor as well as USA's Royal Pains . The WaterCar can do 80 mph (129 km/h) on land, and 44 mph (38 knots; 71 km/h) on sea, and can transition from land to sea in less than 15 seconds. Since its release, WaterCar has been popular in the Middle East, selling to the Embassy of

6844-436: The concept of amphibious reconnaissance. The Marine Corps had begun to come to the realization of utilizing methods of seizing and defending objectives on shore. The Marine Corps Commandant , Brigadier General William P. Biddle sent orders to Earl H. Ellis , a Marine Officer, to the Advance Force Base, which in later years was re-established as the Fleet Marine Force in regards to his report and thesis he had written at

6960-442: The continental east coast, the Antilles of the Caribbean, or the Panama Canal . The most dangerous, likely foe that the United States Navy faced was the British Royal Navy , and had been implemented into War Plan Red , however, relations had improved and both already committed to a growing rapprochement . It instead agreed that the next likely foe would be the Germany's Imperial Navy , a burgeoning force of warships that were at

7076-466: The craft was the responsibility of RN crew and the guns were manned by Royal Marines . They carried two naval officers and two marine officers. The Landing Craft Gun (LCG) was another LCT conversion intended to give supporting fire to the landing. Apart from the Oerlikon armament of a normal LCT, each LCG(Medium) had two British Army 25-pounder gun-howitzers in armoured mountings, while LCG(L)3 and LCG(L)4 both had two 4.7 inch naval guns . Crewing

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7192-464: The days of sail, ship's boats were used as landing craft. These rowing boats were sufficient, if inefficient, in an era when marines were effectively light infantry , participating mostly in small-scale campaigns in far-flung colonies against less well-equipped indigenous opponents. In order to support amphibious operations during the landing in Pisagua by carrying significant quantities of cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore,

7308-415: The design is made amphibious, giving them all-terrain capability in the truest sense. Usually, the front unit houses at least the engine, gearboxes, fuel tank(s) and the driver's compartment, and perhaps there is some space left for cargo or passengers, whereas the rear unit is the primary load carrier. Examples of this concept are the Russian Vityaz , Swedish Volvo Bv202 and Hagglunds Bv206 designs, and

7424-441: The design under the guidance of the Admiralty Experimental Works at Haslar . Tank tests with models soon determined the characteristics of the craft, indicating that it would make 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) on engines delivering about 700 hp (520 kW). Designated the LCT Mark 1, 20 were ordered in July 1940 and a further 10 in October 1940. The first LCT Mark 1 was launched by Hawthorn Leslie in November 1940. It

7540-499: The disposal of Emperor Wilhelm II . In response to possible German naval invasion of the Caribbean or attacks on the east coast, the United States devised War Plan Black . To also include Germany having purchased Spain's remaining central Pacific island colonies, and the Mariana Islands and the Caroline Islands , and its establishment of a naval base in China in 1900. And after the Russo-Japanese War , victorious Imperial Japan had serious plans of expanding its influence south and in

7656-429: The early 1930s, Vickers had developed an amphibious tank. By using very thin armour, flotation could be achieved without external buoyancy aids. The British Army trialled the Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Amphibious Tank but did not adopt it for service use. An order was placed with Vickers by the USSR for a small number of tanks. After negotiations to purchase the Vickers tank by Poland failed, they developed their own design

7772-583: The early 2000s after it was developed by a team assembled by founder Alan Gibbs before the company's engine supplier, Rover, was unable to continue providing engines. Gibbs and new partner Neil Jenkins reconstituted the company and are now seeking U.S. regulatory approval for the Aquada. In 2010, a Southern California-based company named WaterCar set the Guinness World Record for Fastest Amphibious Vehicle, with their prototype, The Python, which reached top land speeds of 204 km/h (127 mph) and water speeds of 96 km/h (60 mph; 52 knots). Since then,

7888-768: The final barrage before an assault, the landing area would be plastered by these types. Amphibious landing craft of WWII were generally fitted out with minimal weaponry. LCA crews were issued with .303 inch Lewis Guns , which were mounted in a light machine gun shelter on the forward-port side of the craft; these could be used both as anti-aircraft protection and against shore targets. Later models were fitted with two 2 inch mortars , and two Lewis or .303 Bren light machine guns . LCM 1 crews were issued with Lewis guns, and many LCM 3s had .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns mounted for anti-aircraft protection. Opportunities for troops on board to use their own weapons presented themselves. LCIs and LCTs carried heavier weapons, such as

8004-427: The firm of West and Peachey in Simcoe, Ontario . Until the late 1920s, the efforts to unify a boat and an automobile mostly came down to simply putting wheels and axles on a boat hull, or getting a rolling chassis to float by blending a boat-like hull with the car's frame. One of the first reasonably well-documented cases was the 1905 amphibious petrol-powered carriage of T. Richmond (Jessup, Iowa, USA). Just like

8120-410: The first LST was laid down on 10 June 1942 at Newport News , Va., and the first standardized LSTs were floated out of their building dock in October. Twenty-three were in commission by the end of 1942. Lightly armored, they could steam cross the ocean with a full load on their own power, carrying infantry, tanks and supplies directly onto the beaches. Together with 2,000 other landing craft, the LSTs gave

8236-426: The first integral bodies ever used on a car. Since the 1920s, many diverse amphibious vehicles designs have been created for a broad range of applications, including recreation, expeditions, search & rescue, and military, leading to a myriad of concepts and variants. In some of them, the amphibious capabilities are central to their purpose, whereas in others they are only an expansion to what has remained primarily

8352-596: The flattest of landmasses so are also not considered to be amphibious vehicles. Two main categories of amphibious vehicles are those that travel on an air cushion ( Hovercraft ) and those that do not. Among the latter, many extend the off-road capabilities of land vehicles to all kinds of terrain, including ice, snow, mud, marsh , swamp etc. This explains why many designs use tracks in addition to or instead of wheels, and in some cases have articulated body configurations or other unconventional designs such as screw-propelled vehicles which use auger-like barrels which propel

8468-444: The form of inflatable floatation devices, much like the sides of a rubber dinghy, or a waterproof fabric skirt raised from the top perimeter of the vehicle, to increase its displacement. For propulsion in or on the water some vehicles simply spin their wheels or tracks, while others use screw propeller (s) or water jet(s) . Most amphibians will work only as a displacement hull when in the water – few can hydroplane , skimming over

8584-458: The humblest vessel admitted to the books of the Royal Navy on D-Day . Prior to July 1942, these craft were referred to as "Assault Landing Craft" (ALC), but "Landing Craft; Assault" (LCA) was used thereafter to conform with the joint US-UK nomenclature system. The Landing Craft Infantry was a stepped up amphibious assault ship , developed in response to a British request for a vessel capable of carrying and landing substantially more troops than

8700-491: The ill-fated Allied raid on Dieppe in 1942, the lack of manoeuvring ability led to the preference for a shorter overall length in future variants, most of which were built in the United States. When the United States entered the war in December 1941, the U.S. Navy had no amphibious vessels at all, and found itself obliged to consider British designs already in existence. One of these, advanced by K.C. Barnaby of Thornycroft ,

8816-611: The infantry carrying LCA by the Inter-Service Training and Development Centre (ISTDC), attention turned to the means of efficiently delivering a tank to a beach in 1938. Inquires were made of the army as to the heaviest tank that might be employed in a landing operation. The army wanted to be able to land a 12-ton tank, but the ISTDC, anticipating weight increases in future tank models specified 16 tons burthen for mechanised landing craft designs. Another limit on any design

8932-581: The long-awaited Quadski, the first amphibious vehicle capable of traveling 45 mph on land or water. The Quadski was developed using Gibbs' High-Speed Amphibian technology, which Gibbs originally developed for the Aquada, an amphibious car, which the company has still not produced because of regulatory issues. Amphibious automobiles have been conceived from ca. 1900; however, the Second World War significantly stimulated their development. Two of

9048-666: The most significant amphibious cars to date were developed during World War II. The most proliferous was the German Schwimmwagen , a small jeep-like 4x4 vehicle designed by the Porsche engineering firm in 1942 and widely used in World War II . The amphibious bodywork was designed by Erwin Komenda , the firm's body construction designer, using the engine and drive train of the Kübelwagen . An amphibious version of

9164-619: The opposite bank has a shallow enough slope for the vehicle to climb out within a few miles, they can cross rivers and water obstacles. An American example is the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier . Soviet examples are the PT-76 amphibious tank, and the BTR-50 and MT-LB APCs based on its chassis. Some heavier tanks have an amphibious mode in which a fabric skirt is needed to add buoyancy . The Sherman DD tank used in

9280-475: The original design. This was changed shortly after initial use of these ships, when it was discovered that many missions would require overnight accommodations. The first LCI(L)s entered service in 1943 chiefly with the Royal Navy and the United States Navy. Some 923 LCI were built in ten American shipyards and 211 provided under lend-lease to the Royal Navy. Following the successful development of

9396-504: The preference for water performance in design. Various versions of this type of amphibious boat design have been produced, including the French Iguana Yacht , an amphibious motorboat featuring all-terrain tracks (covered in the "Tracked" section below). Recently, Gibbs Amphibians has developed a new type of amphibian, one capable of high speeds on both land and water. The vehicles use a patented hydraulic system to raise

9512-451: The prototype advanced base force officially evolved into the Fleet Marine Force (FMF) in 1933. In 1939, during the annual Fleet Landing Exercises , the FMF became interested in the military potential of Andrew Higgins 's design of a powered, shallow- draught boat. These LCPL , dubbed the 'Higgins Boats', were reviewed and passed by the U.S. Naval Bureau of Construction and Repair . Soon,

9628-413: The qualities that make a good sea boat are opposite those that make a craft suitable for beaching. The craft had a hull built of double-diagonal mahogany planking. The sides were plated with "10lb. D I HT" armour, a heat-treated steel based on D1 steel, in this case Hadfield 's Resista ¼". The Landing Craft Assault remained the most common British and Commonwealth landing craft of World War II, and

9744-509: The rubber tubes that contained the rolled up side sleeves were often cracked or frozen into place. The Sheridan could still cross a body of water, but like its swimming cousin, the M113 armoured personnel carrier , also built of aluminium) the river had to be narrow, less than 100 yards (100 m). In all cases, the bilge pumps had to be working properly, and even then by the time the Sheridan or

9860-553: The size of the boat. When the tide is out the boats can run on the tidal flats using their wheels. When the tide is in, they use a propeller to move through the water. Oyster farmers in Jersey make use of similar boats. Currently, Constructions Maritimes du Vivier Amphibie has a range of models. With more than 20,000 units produced, the DUKW was the most successful amphibious truck of World War II . This 31-foot (9.4 m) 6x6 truck

9976-666: The small and overextended United States Army to defend the bases in short, limited order. On the outset of the Spanish–American War , the Marines stormed the beaches of Cuba and captured Guantanamo Bay while the United States Army landed at Santiago . It was First Lieutenant Dion Williams, who raised the United States Flag at Manila Bay in 1898. Lt. Williams later epitomized the modernized doctrine of amphibious operations, focusing on seizure, preparation, and defense of advance bases, which also adopted

10092-419: The smaller Landing Craft Assault (LCA). The result was a small steel ship that could land 200 troops, traveling from rear bases on its own bottom at a speed of up to 15 knots. The original British design was envisioned as being a "one time use" vessel which would simply ferry the troops across the English Channel , and were considered an expendable vessel. As such, no troop sleeping accommodations were placed in

10208-411: The soldiers as 'beetles', carried about 500 men, displaced 135 tons and were based on London barges being 105 feet 6 inches (32.2 m) long, 21 feet (6.4 m) wide, and 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m) deep. The engines mainly ran on heavy oil and ran at a speed of approximately 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). The sides of the ships were bullet proof, and was designed with

10324-465: The tank in the water. The "Medium Tank A/T 1" was a tank with inbuilt buoyancy some 24 ft (7.3 m) long and 11 ft (3.4 m) tall. The Valentine, then the M4 Sherman medium tank were made amphibious with the addition of a rubberized canvas screen to provide additional buoyancy and propellers driven by the main engine to give propulsion. These were DD tanks (from "Duplex Drive") and

10440-518: The tank to be transported the craft might be lowered into the water by its davits already loaded or could have the tank placed in it after being lowered into the water. Although the Royal Navy had the Landing Craft Mechanised at its disposal, in 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill demanded an amphibious vessel capable of landing at least three 36-ton heavy tanks directly onto a beach, able to sustain itself at sea for at least

10556-529: The time and was, therefore, theoretically, always amphibious. According to a 1999 article in Military Parade magazine, multi-unit, all-terrain transport vehicles were first proposed by the British in 1913, and by the 1950s, over 40 types of articulated tracked vehicles (ATV) were in production. The articulated tracked concept is chosen primarily for its combination of high maneuverability, cross-country abilities, and load-carrying capacity. In some cases

10672-503: The tires offer) and no steering wheels, directional control is accomplished through skid-steering – just as on a tracked vehicle – either by braking the wheels on the side in the direction of the desired turn or by applying more throttle to the wheels on the opposite side. Most contemporary designs use garden tractor type engines, that will provide roughly 25 mph (40 km/h) top speed on land. Constructed this way, an AATV will float with ample freeboard and

10788-444: The troops a protected, quick way to make combat landings, beginning in summer 1943. Nine-ton Landing Craft Navigation (LCN) were used by British "combined operations assault pilotage parties" ( Royal Marine and Special Boat Service crew) for surveying landing sites. The Landing Craft Control (LCC) were 56-foot (17 m) U.S. Navy vessels, carrying only the crew ( Scouts and Raiders ) and newly developed radar. Their main job

10904-456: The troops from the ship to the shore. Amphibious assaults taking place over short distances can also involve the shore-to-shore technique, where landing craft go directly from the port of embarkation to the assault point. Some tank landing ships may also be able to land troops and equipment directly onto shore after travelling long distances, such as the Ivan Rogov -class landing ship . In

11020-478: The type of operation which was necessary to win the war. The United States Navy controlled two joint Army-Marine "amphibious corps", in which the Army and Marine Corps's forces were attached under: By 1943, primarily due to disagreements between the services, the Army closed its Amphibious Training Center. Subsequently, the Marine subordinate units of the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet (ACPF) were re-allocated under

11136-567: The water like speedboats . Some of the earliest known amphibious vehicles were amphibious carriages, the invention of which is credited to the Neapolitan polymath Prince Raimondo di Sangro of Sansevero in July 1770 or earlier, or Samuel Bentham whose design of 1781 was built in June 1987. The conestoga wagon , a type of a heavy covered wagon, was popular during the 18th and 19th century in

11252-409: The weapons: two 0.5 inch Vickers machine guns and a 4-inch mortar to fire smoke shells. The Fairmile H Landing Craft Support (Large) had armour added to its wooden hull and a turret with an anti-tank gun fitted. The LCS(L) Mark 1 had a Daimler armoured car turret with its QF 2–pdr (40 mm) gun . The Mark 2 had a QF 6–pdr (57 mm) anti–tank gun . The American Landing Craft Support

11368-700: The wheels into the wheel wells, allowing the vehicles to plane on water. These vehicles can transition between land and water modes in about five seconds. The first Gibbs fast amphibian is the Quadski , introduced in October 2012. It went on sale in January 2013. Since 1977, several boat builders in Brittany have built specialized amphibious vehicles for use in the area's mussel and oyster farming occupations. The boats are made of aluminium, are relatively flat-bottomed, and have three, four, or six wheels, depending on

11484-403: The world's first petrol-powered automobile (1885, Carl Benz), it was a three-wheeler. The single front wheel provided direction, both on land and in the water. A three-cylinder petrol combustion-engine powered the oversized rear wheels. In order to get the wheels to provide propulsion in the water, fins or buckets would be attached to the rear wheel spokes. Remarkably the boat-like hull was one of

11600-416: Was 5 to 6 knots (9.3 to 11.1 km/h; 5.8 to 6.9 mph) and its beaching capacity was good. By 1930, three MLC were operated by the Royal Navy. The United States revived and experimented in their approach to amphibious warfare between 1913 and the mid-1930s, when the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps became interested in setting up advanced bases in opposing countries during wartime;

11716-520: Was a conversion of the LCT that was intended to give anti-aircraft support to the landing. They were first used in the Dieppe Raid early in 1942. The ramp was welded shut, and a deck built on top of the tank deck. They were equipped with several light anti-aircraft guns—a typical fitting was eight 20 mm Oerlikons and four QF 2 pdr "pom-poms" and had a crew of 60. On British examples, the operation of

11832-495: Was a converted tanker with a crane to transfer its cargo of landing craft from deck to sea - 15 LCM in a little over half an hour. The design was developed and built in the US for the USN and the Royal Navy . The LSD could carry 36 LCM at 16 knots. It had a large open compartment at the back. Opening a stern door and flooding special compartments opened this area to the sea so that LCI-sized vessels could enter or leave. It took one and

11948-399: Was a very labor-intensive operation and at least one LCT(R) went alongside a cruiser and got a working party from the larger ship to assist in the process. The Landing Craft Support was used to give some firepower at close range. The Landing Craft Support (Medium) (LCS(M)), Mark 2 and Mark 3 were used by the British forces at Normandy. The crew was Royal Navy, with Royal Marines to operate

12064-520: Was an all-welded 372-ton steel-hulled vessel that drew only 3 feet (0.91 m) of water at the bow. Sea trials soon proved the Mark 1 to be difficult to handle and almost unmanageable in some sea conditions. The designers set about correcting the faults of the Mark 1 in the LCT Mark 2. Longer and wider, with 15 and 20 lb. armoured shielding added to the wheelhouse and gun tubs. The Mark 3 had an additional 32-foot (9.8 m) midsection that gave it

12180-520: Was an amphibious (and sometimes armored) personnel carrier. These were operated by Army personnel, not naval crews and had a capacity of about three tons. The British introduced their own amphibian, the Terrapin . A Landing Craft Utility (LCU) was used to transport equipment and troops to the shore. It was capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and troops from amphibious assault ships to beachheads or piers. The Landing Ship Dock , came as

12296-573: Was based on a 1950s civil construction vehicle and became the US Army's standard heavy tactical truck before its replacement by the HEMTT . Although the vehicles' wheels were mounted without suspension or steering action, and land speeds over 20 mph (32 km/h) were ill-advised, its articulated design provided it with good maneuverability and helped it to keep all four wheels firmly in touch with uneven ground. Coupled with its amphibious capability, in

12412-438: Was for a double-ended LCT to work with landing ships. The Bureau of Ships quickly set about drawing up plans for landing craft based on Barnaby's suggestions, although with only one ramp. The result, in early 1942, was the LCT Mark 5, a 117-foot craft that could accommodate five 30-ton or four 40-ton tanks or 150 tons of cargo. This 286-ton landing craft could be shipped to combat areas in three separate water-tight sections aboard

12528-428: Was implemented in 1935. The doctrine set forth the organization, theory and practice of landing operations by establishing new troop organization and the development of amphibious landing crafts and tractors. Also, they emphasized the use of aerial and naval support in beach landings for the troops. The final element of the formula was the annual exercises called the 'Fleet Landing Exercises' (FLEX), which were conducted in

12644-590: Was larger, each was armed with a 3-inch gun, various smaller guns, and ten MK7 rocket launchers. Amphibious vehicle An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian ) is a vehicle that works both on land and on or under water. Amphibious vehicles include amphibious bicycles , ATVs , cars , buses , trucks , railway vehicles , combat vehicles , and hovercraft . Classic landing craft are not amphibious vehicles as they do not work on land, although they are part of amphibious warfare . Ground effect vehicles , such as ekranoplans , will likely crash on any but

12760-473: Was made to attach pontoons to the T-26 . While successful, the project was closed due to the high vulnerability and unwieldiness of the construction. Some light tanks such as the PT-76 are amphibious, typically being propelled in the water by hydrojets or by their tracks. In 1969, the U.S. Army rushed the new M551 Sheridan to Vietnam. This 17-ton light tank was built with an aluminium hull, steel turret, and

12876-731: Was proven seaworthy at a Gale force 10 storm off the North Sea coast (Pohl, 1998). Only about 100 were built – those who own one have found it capable of crossing the English Channel almost effortlessly. Purely recreational amphibian cars include the 1960s Amphicar and the contemporary Gibbs Aquada . With almost 4,000 pieces built, the Amphicar is still the most successfully produced civilian amphibious car to date. The Gibbs Aquada stands out due to its capability of high-speed planing on water. Gibbs built fifty Aquadas in

12992-649: Was similar to the LCF. LCGs played a very important part in the Walcheren operations in October 1944. The Landing Craft Tank (Rocket) , LCT(R), was an LCT modified to carry a large set of launchers for the British RP-3 "60 lb" rockets mounted on the covered-over tank deck. The full set of launchers was "in excess of" 1,000 and 5,000 reloads were kept below. The firepower was claimed to be equivalent to 80 light cruisers or 200 destroyers. The method of operation

13108-517: Was the need to land tanks and other vehicles in less than approximately 2½ feet of water. Design work began at John I. Thornycroft Ltd. in May 1938 with trials completing in February 1940. Constructed of steel and selectively clad with armour plate, this shallow-draft, barge -like boat with a crew of 6, could ferry a tank of 16 long tons to shore at 7 knots (13 km/h). Depending on the weight of

13224-407: Was to anchor off the target beach, pointing towards the shore. The distance to the shore was then measured by radar and the elevation of the launchers set accordingly. The crew then vanished below, apart from the commanding officer who retreated to a special cubbyhole, and the launch was then set off electrically. The launch could comprise the entire set or individual ranks of rockets. A full reload

13340-469: Was to find and follow the safe routes in to the beach, which were lanes that had been cleared of obstacles and mines. There were eight in the entire Normandy invasion (two per beach). After leading in the first wave, they were to head back out and bring in the second wave. After that, they were used as all-purpose command and control assets during the invasion. Very small landing craft, or amphibians, were designed. The U.S. -designed Landing Vehicle Tracked ,

13456-456: Was used to establish and supply beachheads. It was designed as a wartime project by Sparkman & Stephens , a yacht design firm who also designed the hull for the Ford GPA 'Seep' . Britain developed the Terrapin 8x8 amphibious cargo carrier which was used by 79th Armoured Division during the Walcheren campaign. While offering greater capacity than the DUKW, ease of operation favoured

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