Amphibious reconnaissance The concept of amphibious reconnaissance , or commonly " amphib recon " , are used primarily in conjunction with ground and naval reconnaissance concerning the littoral area bordering coastal or maritime areas of interests . Initially , it is used for preliminary reconnaissance in collecting pertinent information about the beachhead in its permeability and usability for main landing assaults . Specialized recon patrols skilled in boatswain and combatant diving using either amphibious vehicles or combat rubber crafts to obtain and collect information of the enemy , the topology ashore and inland , and hydrographic surveys for underwater obstacles and mines , and for the purpose of effecting a deception . History . Evolution of the Doctrine . The turn of the 20th Century , amphibious reconnaissance was first conceived from an idea from a United State Marine officer by the name of then - Major Dion Williams . Williams referenced the purpose of amphibious reconnaissance by standardizing the ' official ' naval doctrine of amphibious reconnaissance of amphibious warfare in 1906 . The scope of the doctrine outlined every aspect that involved recognition of intelligence gathering and planning , the cornerstone of America ' s present - day methods in amphibious reconnaissance . Although very little effect was made in creating a formidable unit capable of utilizing amphibious reconnaissance tactics because the outset of World War I and the Gallipoli Operations due to the lack of Marine Corps personnel by the Isolationism of 1920 - 30s . Also drawbacks concurred while most of the Marine forces were engaged in conflicts of China and Nicaragua . By 1933 , December 7 , when the Fleet Marine Force was formed at HQMC in Quantico , VA combining the roles of the Navy and Marine Corps into an integrated naval assault force . Shortly after , a new naval doctrine , the Fleet Training Publication 167 was created to ensure long - term purposes . With this new amphibious reconnaissance doctrine , the United States Navy and Marine Corps began to consider establishing highly anticipated reconnaissance units . The origins of reconnaissance within the United States Marine Corps had evolved from an idea by Major Dion Williams who , in 1906 , wrote the first American doctrine concerning amphibious reconnaissance . He specified in his thesis that . . . These Marines particularly needed to be competent in surveying , cartography , and recording observations , as well as reading previous maps and surveys of various types . Williams ' doctrine outlined a wide spectrum of reconnaissance , which consisted of range determination , topography , configuration of the ground , cities , towns , roads , trails , railroads , telegraph cables , telephone lines , wireless telegraphy , rivers , canals , resources ( coal , repair facilities , land transportation , electric plants , food supplies , water supply , and hospitals ) , conditions of the harbor and harbor steamers , wharves , docks , water service , the population ( secret service , professions and occupations , naval and military forces ) , existing defenses ( location , form and description , armament , fieldworks , mines and mine fields , searchlights , plans and sketches , garrisons and forces available , methods of attack , adaptability of the defenses ) . And the most important he listed was hydrographic reconnaissance : After World War I , three significant aspects of the second edition of Williams ' " Naval Reconnaissance " included ( 1 ) discussion of additional capabilities of observation from airplanes and submarines , ( 2 ) promulgation of the book under authority of the Secretary of the Navy instead of under the auspices of the President of the Naval War College , and ( 3 ) emphasis on information acquisition for long - term planning . It was this latter emphasis on obtaining information long before hostilities that was perhaps of greatest significance . Rather than obtaining information solely for military operations in progress , Williams now enunciated a more comprehensive mission : Twenty - years later , another Marine intel officer , Earl H . Ellis , put most of William ' s concept to effect . After fighting in the trenches in WWI , Ellis submitted a request to Headquarters Marine Corps for special intelligence duty in South America and the Pacific ; the Director of Naval Intelligence diligently accepted . It was during his special duty that introduced the most profound accounts of Ellis ' s intelligence reports . He submitted a 30 , 000 page Top Secret document concerning his detail discussion of local sea , air and the climate , various land terrain types , the native population and economic conditions . He discussed his reports on strategically seizing key islands as forward - operating bases for project naval forces effectively into the area . His time - tables , mobilization projections , and predictions of manpower necessary to seize certain targets . The earliest activities in amphibious reconnaissance was largely limited in surveying of ports , uncharted islands and adjacent beaches or coastlines . Most of these duties were billeted by senior Naval Intelligence Officers that were prerequisited in topography , hydrography , impermanent construction of fortification with the means of rapid encampment and mobilization of troops to operate in their area . World War II in Europe . The development of amphibious reconnaissance in the early stages of the Second World War during the European campaigns were largely dominated by Lt - Cdr Nigel Clogstoun - Willmot RN , who developed what would become the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties ( COPPs ) while conducting raids on the Aegean Islands in 1941 . Following Operation Torch , which was carried out without proper reconnaissance , it was proposed that 50 of these parties would be needed ; however , the shortage of necessary personnel meant that in all only some 11 teams were trained . The Beach Pilotage School was set up on the Kyles of Bute in Scotland . The COPP Depot was set up in 1943 on Hayling Island based at Hayling Island Sailing Club . In preparation for the invasion of Normandy , the British carried out Operation Postage Able , in which a midget submarine took a team close in to the planned landing sites . The team took samples from the beach to determine its ability to bear vehicles , and , together with depth soundings and other observations , large - scale models of the beaches were constructed to aid planning . Following the war the secrecy surrounding beach recce continued , and mention of the COPPs did not appear in the press until the late 1950s . By then their knowledge and role had been passed on to the ( then ) Special Boat Squadron . Mission Role . Specific missions for amphibious reconnaissance patrols included : Also assigned were the following non - intelligence missions :