Rocket Ships

Experiences of British, U.S., and Allied forces early in World War II underscored the need for effective close-in fire support and beach bombardment. The most effective method for providing this much-needed capability was not to develop specialized platforms for the task, but to modify the ships and craft that already had the capability to get close-in to shore in medias res. The answer was landing craft.

Much as the Soviets had done with their Katyusha on land, the British Royal Navy and U.S. Navy began modifying their existing and planned landing craft and boat designs to accommodate rapidly evolving rocket and rocket-launching technology. By the war's end, a number of different craft had been modified to carry and launch rockets for close-in fire support.

One of the first designs to be modified was the British Landing Craft Tank, Mk. 5, which saw use primarily in the Royal Navy but was also used by the U.S. Navy in the Mediterranean and Normandy campaigns before being transferred to the Pacific theater.

As more designs came into use during 1943-44, other smaller craft were modified for rocket capability, including the landing craft, vehicle and personnel (LCVP):

And the landing craft, mechanized (LCM):

Other designs incorporated their placement directly, including the Higgins landing craft support, small, Mark 2 (LCS[S]-2), which had racks placed alongside the cabin:

Even some patrol torpedo (PT) boats were fitted with rocket launchers for more effective close-in fire support:

In the Pacific Theater, where amphibious operations were an essential aspect of the war, larger craft were modified. An "interim" platform before the landing ship, medium (LSM) came on line was the landing craft, infantry (LCI), which were used extensively in late 1944 through early 1945:

One of the last developments of the war was the landing ship, medium (rocket) (LSM[R]), three classes of which were produced.

Later variants, decommissioned after World War II, were reactivated for the Korean War in support of amphibious operations on the peninsula.

Many of the class were retained and served in Vietnam.

One of the last iterations of this design was the USS Carronade (IFS-1), a specially designed inshore fire-support ship launched in 1955 to provide direct naval gunfire support to amphibious landings or operations close to shore. Like the older LSMRs, the Carronade served in the "Brown Water Navy" in Vietnam until she was decommissioned in 1970.

Redesignated amphibious fire support ships (LFRs) while in reserve, the last of the rocket ships were scrapped in the early 1970s.