Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto a low slope beach with no docks or piers. The shallow draft and bow doors and ramps enabled amphibious assaults on almost any beach.
Universal Carriers being loaded at Bone Harbour through the bow doors of HMS Bachaquero
HMS Thruster
LST-942 underway soon after completion, late in 1944
HMS LST-3035
Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Production of landing craft peaked during World War II, with a significant number of different designs produced in large quantities by the United Kingdom and United States.
Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) used in the Invasion of Normandy in World War II
Dutch landing craft
Finnish Jehu-class landing craft
The Soviet-built PTS-M is an unarmoured, fully tracked landing craft that was designed to transport troops or equipment inland.