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 ship s dating back to the 1970s and the newer and larger " Wasp " class ships that debuted in 1989 . History . World War I and interwar period . The history of the specialist amphibious assault vessel really begins during World War II . Prior to World War I , amphibious assaults had taken place using conventional boats . The disastrous Gallipoli landings of 1915 showed that this type of operation was impossible in the face of modern weapons , especially the machine gun . The 1920s and 1930s did not see much progress in most of the world , the exception being by the United States Marine Corps . Small - scale operations conducted by the Marine Corps in Latin America in the 1920s and 1930s , known as the Banana Wars , led to the development of advanced amphibious assault doctrine . By the late 1930s , concrete plans were beginning to form to build the first true specialized amphibious assault ships . 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 . World War II developments . Many of the early types of shipping were converted cargo vessels . However , the Landing Ship , Tank ( LST ) stands out . As the name suggests it is a specialized type for getting tank s or other large vehicles ashore . Unlike the other large ships , LSTs could beach and discharge directly onto shore . Beyond the ships carrying the troops , other vessels were needed . It was quickly appreciated that amphibious assaults were such complicated operations that a specialized flagship was needed , with facilities that a normal naval vessel simply could not provide . It was also realized that battleship s , cruiser s and destroyer s could not necessarily provide all the fire support ( including suppressive fire ) that an assault would 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 the final barrage before an assault , the landing area would be plastered by these types . Despite all the progress that was seen during World War II , there were still fundamental limitations in the types of coastline that were suitable for assault . Beaches had to be relatively free of obstacles , and have the right tidal conditions and the correct slope . However , the development of the helicopter fundamentally changed the equation . Early Cold War developments . The first use of helicopters in an amphibious assault came during the Anglo - French - Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956 ( the Suez War ) . Two British light fleet carriers were pressed into service to carry helicopters , and a battalion - sized airborne assault was made . Two of the other carriers involved , and " Albion " ( R07 ) , were converted in the late 1950s into dedicated " commando carriers . " The techniques were developed further by American forces in the Vietnam War and refined during training exercises . The modern amphibious assault can take place at virtually any point of the coast , making defending against them extremely difficult . Earlier ships which played a similar role to the current vessels as the heart of an amphibious assault included five " Iwo Jima " class Landing Platform Helicopter vessels , built in the 1950s and 1960s , and various converted fleet and escort carriers . The first of the type envisaged was the escort aircraft carrier USS " Block Island " ( CVE - 106 / LPH - 1 ) , which never actually saw service as an amphibious assault ship . Delays in the construction of the " Iwo Jima " class saw other conversions made as a stopgap measure ; three " Essex " - class aircraft carriers ( USS " Boxer " ( CV - 21 / LPH - 4 ) , " Princeton " ( CV - 37 / LPH - 5 ) , and " Valley Forge " ( CV - 45 / LPH - 8 ) ) and one " Casablanca " class escort carrier ( USS " Thetis Bay " ( CVE - 90 / CVHA - 1 / LPH - 6 ) ) were converted into " Boxer " and " Thetis Bay " class amphibious assault vessels . The " Tarawa " and " Wasp " types and their " Iwo Jima " class forebears resemble aircraft carrier s . However , the role of an amphibious assault ship is fundamentally different from that of an aircraft carrier . Its aviation facilities are not to support strike or air defense aircraft , but for hosting helicopters to support forces ashore . Future developments . One of the most recent innovations is the LCAC ( Landing Craft Air Cushioned ) . These large hovercraft further expand the range of conditions under which an amphibious assault can take place and increase the speed of transfer of assets from ship to shore . Ground effect vehicle s , which straddle the line between aircraft and ship , have also been proposed for the role in the past . Amphibious assault submarine s , while proposed during the 1950s , and almost brought to actual construction by the Soviet Union in the 1960s , are currently not being designed . However , if the predictions of military experts such as John Keegan or others hold true , and surface shipping becomes extremely dangerous during future wars of evenly matched powers ( due to satellite reconnaissance and anti - ship missile s ) , then transport and amphibious assault submarines might deserve another look .