AvilaBeachAmphibiousTrainingBaseMorroBay

Amphibious Training Base (ATB)(USNATB) Advance Amphibious Training Base are

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

bases used for the

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

amphibious warfare Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conduc ...

. Starting with

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, United States Navy began large-scale amphibious assaults of beaches. To train troops in the use of Amphibious warfare ships and Amphibious Combat Vehicles the Navy established training bases both on the US mainland and overseas at US Naval Advance Bases. The Training involved the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

working with The

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and in later years sometimes the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

for air support.

Background

The United States amphibious operations dates back to the early dates of the nation. On March 3, 1776, the

Continental Marines The Continental Marines were the Amphibious warfare, amphibious infantry of the Thirteen Colonies, American Colonies (and later the United States) during the American Revolutionary War. The Corps was formed by the Continental Congress on Novem ...

made their first amphibious landing in the

Battle of Nassau The Raid of Nassau (March 3–4, 1776) was a naval operation and amphibious assault by American forces against the British port of Nassau, Bahamas, during the American Revolutionary War. The raid, designed to resolve the issue of gunpowder sho ...

on to the beaches of the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

. While amphibious operations took place in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, large-scale amphibious training bases were not established till World War II. Before World War II the need for Amphibious Training Base was seen. In 1903, President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

from his experience in the Spanish-American War established a Joint Army-Navy Board in 1903, but no Amphibious Training Base came out of this. One of the first small-scale Amphibious Training took place in Culebra and

Vieques, Puerto Rico Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island, Culebra barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico, and together with Culebra, Puerto Rico, Culebra, it is geographically part of the Spanish Virgin ...

at the request of the Secretary of the Navy

Josephus Daniels Josephus Daniels (May 18, 1862 – January 15, 1948) was a newspaper editor, Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He managed ''The News & Observer'' in R ...

in 1913. During World War I, the

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

amphibious operations in Turkey did not go well for the Allies, thus some thought that amphibious warfare was at an end. After World War I, in which Japan fought on the Allied side, Japan took control of German bases in China and the Pacific. In 1919, the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

approved Japan's mandate over the German islands north of the equator. The United States did not want any mandates and was concerned with Japan's aggressiveness. As such

Wilson Administration Woodrow Wilson served as the 28th president of the United States from March 4, 1913, to March 4, 1921. A History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat and former governor of New Jersey, Wilson took office after winning the 1912 Uni ...

transferred 200 Atlantic

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

s to the Pacific Fleet in 1919. With new concerns in the Pacific, in 1921, Marine Commandant Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune asked Major Earl “Pete” Ellis to make up plans for an amphibious war with Japan, as to be prepared. Ellis wrote ''OpPlan 712: Advance Base Operations in Micronesia'', which outlined modern amphibious warfare. The Fleet Marine Force was founded on December 7, 1933. Fleet Marine Force was a combined Force of both the US Navy and the United States Marine Corps. On December 7, 1941, Japan carried out a surprise military strike on the Naval Base in Pearl Harbor. Japan hoped to eliminate US military force in the Pacific as it soon carried out attacks across the South Pacific. The attack led the US to enter World War II. During World War II the United States was fighting on two fronts, the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

and the European theatre. The Pacific War was an amphibious operation of Island-hopping and the European theatre required amphibious operations to get a foothold on the

European continent Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the eas ...

. European theatre saw major amphibious operations at the invasion of

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. On January 5, 1942

Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Forces (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Dependi ...

Navy Construction Battalions officially began operation. In July 1943 Seabee started an Amphibious Construction Battalion, with Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 as the first unit, which operated in the Pacific War. Seabee were given the task of clearing beaches of obstacles and establishing beachhead bases. In addition, Seabees built and operated sea ports, airfields and served as elements the United States Marine Corps. This nation's first official naval amphibious training base was established in August 1942 at Solomons, Maryland, USNATB, United States Navy Amphibious Training Base. Other base opened on both coasts of the United States. Due to the demand for Amphibious Training, overseas bases were founded in

and the South Pacific. The United States Navy needed to train with the US Army and US Marine Corps, as amphibious landing require complex operations: *

Strategic planning Strategic planning is the activity undertaken by an organization through which it seeks to define its future direction and makes decisions such as resource allocation aimed at achieving its intended goals. "Strategy" has many definitions, but it ...

* Amphibious vessels need to arrive and be loaded with all the supplies and troops needed for the operation. * Must be

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

of the landing site * Landing site may need obstacles removed, and the water depth checked. * Landing must be timed to the

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

. * Air cover must be timed to landing. * Beach checked for

landmines A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, whic ...

and other obstacles. * After troops and vehicles debark, support supplies are unloaded the beachhead supply depot.

Underwater Demolition Teams

The US Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams are the forerunner to today's United States Navy SEALs, they were founded in December 1943 in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. The first of 30 World War II teams, was Underwater Demolition Team One, ''UDT-1'' established with UDT-2 in December 1943. The Underwater Demolition Team trained at Amphibious Training Base Kamaole on Maui and Amphibious Training Base Waimanalo at Waimanalo on Oahu.

Ships and vehicles

''See also Amphibious warfare vessel classes''
Starting in World War II common amphibious ships used were

Landing Ship, Tank A Landing Ship, Tank (LST) is a ship first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto a low-slope beach with no dock (maritime), docks or pier ...

(LST), Landing Craft Infantry (LCI). Common boats starting in World War II were LCP boats, Landing craft tank and Landing Craft Mechanized boats.

Landing Vehicle Tracked The Amphibious Vehicle, Tracked (LVT or AMTRAC) is an amphibious warfare vehicle and Amphibious vehicle, amphibious landing craft, introduced by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. (The USN and USMC use ''L'' to designate ...

(LVT), known as Gators and Buffalos were widely used in the

from 1942 to 1945. The DUKW, an amphibious truck, was used in all fronts in World War II. An Amphibious jeep was built, but was not as successful as the DUKW. DD tank, a variant of the M4 Sherman was used at

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

with mix results. Post war the US LCU was used for beach landings. The Cadillac Gage Commando saw service in

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Current vehicles include the Assault Amphibious Vehicle in service starting 1971 and LAV-25 in service starting in 1983.

Landing Craft Air Cushion The Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) is a class of air-cushioned landing craft (hovercraft) used by the United States Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). They transport weapons systems, equipment, cargo and personnel from s ...

launched from

Amphibious assault ship An amphibious assault ship is a type of warship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory during an armed conflict. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (which, as a result, ar ...

in service starting 1986. Amphibious assault ships included Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ships, San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks, and Wasp-class amphibious assault ships.

Current Amphibious Training Bases

* Naval Amphibious Base Coronado (1943 – present) * Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story (2005–present) ** Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek - Joint Expeditionary Base–Little Creek - Amphibious Training Base Camp Bradford (1942 – present) ** Joint Expeditionary Base Fort Story - US Army (1914–present) *

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States Armed Forces, United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for Amphibious warfare, amphibious assault training, an ...

- US Marines (1942–present) * Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton - US Marines (1942 – present) * Amphibious Training Base Waimānalo now Marine Corps Training Area Bellows (1999–present) * Amphibious Training Base at Naval Base Okinawa (1999 – present) ** Special Amphibious Training events are held around the world, some are joint events with other nations.

Closed Amphibious Training Bases

In the United States

In Africa

US Naval Bases North Africa: * Ténès Naval Base (1942-1945) * Béni Saf Naval Base (1942-1945) * Bizerte Naval Base (1942-1945) * Tunis Naval Base (1942-1945) * Ferryville Naval Base (1942-1945)

In the Pacific

US Naval Advance Bases: * Naval Base Cairns Australia (1943 - 1945) (now HMAS Cairns (naval base) * Amphibious Training Base Sandstone Point, Queensland Australia (1943 - 1945) * Port Stephens amphibious landing training base-HMAS Assault Australia shared (1943 - 1945) * Training Centre Toorbul Point at Sandstone Point, Queensland Australia shared (1943 - 1945) * Amphibious Training Base Milne Bay Swinger Bay Alotau Base, Papua New Guinea (1942 - 1945) Amphibious Construction Battalion 2 * Māhia Peninsula Amphibious Training beach in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

(1942-1945) * Petone landing beach training at Eastbourne, New Zealand (1942-1945)

In the United Kingdom

* HMS Rosneath at

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, Scotland, US operated base. Also Seabee base. (1942-1945) Combined Operations Amphibious Training Base with

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in west of Scotland and the south of England (1943-1944): * Amphibious Training Base Crow Point in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England pre D-Day 1943-44 *Amphibious Training Base Woolacombe Beach Devon, England pre D-Day 1943 Amphibious Training Base Woolacombe Beach, ''youtube.com''
/ref> * HMS Dundonald Troon Scotland * Dundonald Air Station in South Ayrshire, Scotland, also used for amphibious landing training *HMS Dinosaur I, HQ for tank landing craft training, Troon, Ayrshire Scotland *HMS Stopford at

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

Scotland, landing craft base *

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow (, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recent census in 2011 s ...

Scotland, Landing Craft Maintenance base *HMS Mylodon at

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

England, Landing Craft base *HMS Woolverstone at

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

England, Landing Craft base *HMS Helder at

Brightlingsea Brightlingsea (, traditionally , , ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the Tendring District, Tendring district of Essex, England. It is situated between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, at the mouth of the River Colne, Essex, River Colne, on ...

England, Landing Craft training base *HMS Westcliff at Southend England, Landing Craft training base * HMS Lizard at Shoreham, England, Landing Craft training base * HMS Mastodon, England, Combined Ops base for landing craft * HMS Northney, England, Base I, II, III & IV Training establishment for landing craft and Combined Ops camp *Dartmouth III at Dartmouth, England, Combined Operations Boat Training *HMS St Clement at Coalhouse Fort,

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...

, Essex, England, Combined Operations base

Photo gallery

File:Amphibian engineers land 45th Division troops at Cape Cod.jpg, Amphibian engineers land 45th Division troops at Cape Cod in 1942 File:Unloading_an_LST_Pontoon_Causeway_at_Safta_Beach.jpg, 1006th Seabees in the Salerno Invasion, Operation Avalanche, unloading an LST ship over a Pontoon Causeway at Safta Beach in September 1943. The ship had trained and loaded with the Pontoon Causeway at an US Naval Bases North Africa Amphibious Training Bases File:1006th_Seabees_using_a_Three-Section_Pontoon_Causeway_at_Safta_Beach.jpg, 1006th Seabees using a Three-Section Pontoon Causeway at Safta Beach in September 1943. File:LVT-4 1.jpg, LVT-4 unloading a Jeep File:Tracked landing vehicles (LVTs) approach Iwo Jima;fig14.jpg, Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVTs) approach

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

File:Near Algiers, "Torch" troops hit the beaches behind a large American flag "Left" hoping for the French Army not fire... - NARA - 195516.jpg, American troops land on an Algerian beach during Operation Torch HMAS Assault (304848).jpg, Troops and landing craft crews training at HMAS ''Assault'' during World War II File:American troops landing on the beach at Arzeu.jpg, American troops unload stores from LCA 26 at Beach Z, near Arzeu US Navy 120109-N-GF386-064 Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1654, assigned to Assault Craft Unit 2, departs the well deck of the amphibious assault ship.jpg , US NavyLanding Craft Utility (LCU) 1654, assigned to Assault Craft Unit 2, departs the well deck of the amphibious assault ship Defense.gov photo essay 091012-M-8583E-011.jpg, A light-armored vehicle assaults the beach from a landing craft utility from Assault Craft Unit 2 during an amphibious assault demonstration conducted as part of Bright Star 2009, Egypt, Oct. 12, 2009. LCAC-55 maneuvers to enter the well deck.jpg, A US Navy

LCAC LCAC may refer to: Hovercraft * A generic term for an Air-cushioned landing craft, air cushioned landing craft, taken from US Navy designation "Landing Craft, Air Cushion". ** Landing Craft Air Cushion, a US Navy hull classification symbol for the ...

maneuvers to enter the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS ''Kearsarge'' USMC LCAC offloading.jpg, USMC LAV-25s and HMMWVs are offloaded from a USN LCAC craft at Samesan RTMB,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Bright Star 2009 DVIDS214767.jpg, Three LCACs conduct an amphibious assault exercise during Bright Star '09 File:Defense.gov photo essay 100813-D-7203C-038.jpg, US Navy SEALs training at Naval Special Warfare Center, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado File:MāhiaPeninsula andingbeachtraining.jpg, Māhia Peninsula Amphibious Training beach in

References

{{authority control Closed installations of the United States Navy