Landing Craft, Infantry (Large)

naval craft

Also known as: LCI

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

The Landing Craft, Infantry (Large), or LCI, was a naval vessel developed during World War II. Unlike other landing craft, the LCI did not have a bow ramp. Instead, it used two gangways on either side of the bow to disembark troops.1

LCIs were designed for shore-to-shore capability, meaning they were seagoing vessels. The LCI was 158 feet (48 meters) long and could carry 200 infantrymen. The United States produced 1,051 LCIs during the war, and they were also supplied to the British and Russians through lend-lease.1

Landing craft, in general, are small naval vessels used to transport soldiers, equipment, and vehicles from ships to shore during military operations. The Japanese developed the first landing craft with a bow ramp in the early 1930s, a design that was later adopted and modified by the British and Americans.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

landing craft
The resulting Landing Craft, Infantry (Large), called the LCI, was a 158-foot (48-metre) vessel with the capacity to carry 200 infantrymen on a 48-hour passage—more than enough time to cross small bodies of water such as the English Channel. The LCI did not have the standard bow…
Read More
The resulting Landing Craft, Infantry (Large), called the LCI, was a 158-foot (48-metre) vessel with the capacity to carry 200 infantrymen on a 48-hour passage—more than enough time to cross small bodies of water such as the English Channel. The LCI did not have the standard bow…
Read More