ABSTRACT
On 3 March 1776 the Continental Navy made its first important attack upon the British, an amphibious landing on the island of Nassau in the Bahamas in which 250 sailors and marines were put ashore. Just as with mine warfare, the US Navy’s introduction to the logistic support of fighting ships at sea came during the Civil War. The Marines and the concept of amphibious assault both regained sufficient favor to permit the construction of a new generation of amphibious ships. After the Vietnam War, money for the armed forces became particularly hard to get, the items that were bought proved to be more expensive than anticipated, and once again doubt assailed the military community over the current and future value of amphibious warfare. The demands of a worldwide war with combatants and other ships—most of them small-spread across thousands of empty sea miles led to the need for many auxiliary ships.
