Landing craft carrier

Landing craft carriers or landing craft depot ships were an innovative type of amphibious warfare ship developed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, capable of deploying multiple landing craft for ground invasions. Their official designation was "Army Special Purpose Ship" (陸軍特殊船, Rikugun tokushu-sen). The prototype was developed in secrecy under the pseudonyms Ryūjō Maru and Fusō Maru using features later adopted by other navies for dock landing ships and amphibious transport docks. Additional ships were built after combat experience validated the concept, but most were completed after the Japanese invasions of the early war, and used primarily as troopships during later operations. Today's amphibious assault ships bear a strong similarity to this concept.