Landing Ship, Tank

Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore.

The first tank landing ships were built to British requirements by converting existing ships, then the British and US collaborated upon a joint design. About 1,000 LSTs were laid down in the United States during World War II for use by the Allies. Eighty more were built in the United Kingdom and Canada.

LST Mk.1

The British evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940 demonstrated to the Admiralty that the Allies needed relatively large, ocean-going ships that could handle shore-to-shore delivery of tanks and other vehicles in amphibious assaults upon the continent of Europe. As an interim measure, three 4,000- to 4,800-GRT tankers, built to pass over the restrictive bars of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, were selected for conversion because of their shallow draft. Bow doors and ramps were added to these ships, which became the first tank landing ships, "LST (1)": HMS Misoa, Tasajera and Bachaquero. They later proved their worth during the invasion of Algeria in 1942, but their bluff bows made for inadequate speed and pointed out the need for an all-new design incorporating a sleeker hull.

Landing Ship, Tank (Hospital)

Landing Ship, Tank (Hospital) (LSTH) was designed to act as a hospital ship, but because they retained armament were not officially designated as such. The Tank Landing Ship (LST) was a vessel designed to beach itself and unload equipment, vehicles, tanks, and troops onto an enemy beach. The general idea of an LSTH would be to bring troops to shore, but the convenience of a ship beached ashore proved to be an inviting harbor for the sick and injured, who could simply walk aboard.

Background

On D-Day most of the troops were not landed by LSTs, however 41,035 wounded were brought back on approximately 150 LSTs, which was twice their troop capacity. The sheer numbers overwhelmed the modest sick bay facilities on these craft which were staffed by one or two Pharmacist Mates. The troop berthings quickly filled to capacity with walking wounded and litter patients laid on the tank deck. Further, the inclusion of refugees on LSTs created additional needs, such as an Italian woman who gave birth at sea.

Amphibious warfare ship

An amphibious warfare ship (or amphib) is a warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault. The largest fleet of these types is operated by the United States Navy, including the Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships dating back to the 1970s and the newer and larger Wasp class ships that debuted in 1989.

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 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.

History

In 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.