US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

Tongb Toenads Paring 589
this number as only 12 LSTS, 26 LCIS, 43 LCTS and 16 APCS were in the
area on 30 June 1943. This number was barely adequate.Ge
(B) Landing Ships and Craft
The personal worry bug to be overcome by every amphibian, coxswain,
officer in charge or commanding officer was the coral shelf and the many
coral heads off the few and generally narrow beaches. In due time, these
coral heads would be dynamited. The beaches would be augmented with
landing piers, which would be coconut log bulkheads backed up by crushed
coral. But the first few days in poorly or uncharted waters were real tests.
When the first surge of TOENAILS was over, it was apparent from the
reports that both landing ships and craft had turned in better than a satisfactory
performance.
The LCTS had been the most useful of all b]pes. However, low speed (6
knots) limits their daily staging in combat areas to about 100 miles per
night. . . . It is still advisable to have them underway only at night. Against
a head sea, their speed is greatly reduced, sometimes to two knots. . . . The
crews and officers have been standing up well in spite of operating two out of
every three days.
Some LSTS have transported 400 men each for short periods. . . . [LCTS]
have carried as many as 2>0 men overnight, but in exposed positions. . . .
The LCIS carry about I i’o combat troops. . . . For unopposed short runs of
a few hours, 350 men have been transported on a single LCI. . . . They are
ideaI for night landings on good beaches.
The APCS, besides having proved useful as escorts, have been used to trans-
port small groups of men. . . .
The arrival of a nmbile landing craft repair base unit with a floating dock
has been expected for months, but they still have not arrived.TO
(C) Night Landing Operations
Night landings on foreign shores look very well on paper and over the
long history of amphibious operations have been resorted to many times.
Our Navy had carried out such operations on a large scale in the North
African Invasion on 8 November 1942. The Sicilian Invasion commencing
10 July 1943, eleven days after D-Day for TOENAILS was to include a
large successful night landing of the assault troops.
“ CTG 31.1 Loading Order 14-43 IZ Jul. 1943.
m Commander Landing Craft Flotillas, letter, 13 Jul. 1943