Landing ship, infantry

Landing Ship, Infantry (LSI) was a British term for a type of ship used to transport infantry in amphibious warfare during the Second World War

The LSI would take its cargo of infantry close to the target area. They would then transfer to landing craft, such as the Landing Craft, Assault for the journey to the beach. A small LSI would be around 3,000 gross registered tons and could carry up to 800 troops. The largest LSI(L) could carry 1,800 and would need 20 or so landing craft for that number.

LSI were generally converted cross-channel ferries and other similar ships of that size or converted passenger ships

Conversion was accomplished by adding davits for the landing craft plus some defensive armament, such as QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval guns, and anti-aircraft guns, such as the 20 mm Oerlikon cannon.

The Attack Transport (APA) was the US Navy's equivalent of the LSI, during World War II.

Post-war the US renamed their Landing Craft, Infantry as "Landing Ship Infantry" - these were vessels that could beach and carried around 200 troops.

Ships

 * TSS Ben-my-Chree – Isle of Man Steam Packet Company passenger ferry. Served at Pointe du Hoc with 2nd US Rangers, 6 June 1944
 * Duke of York
 * HMS El Hind – LSI(L), destroyed by fire, April 1944
 * Empire Arquebus
 * HMS Empire Battleaxe
 * SS Empire Broadsword – LSI(L)
 * Empire Cutlass was a 7,177 GRT Type C1-S-AY1 infantry landing ship which was built by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California. Laid down as Cape Compass and completed in November 1943 as Empire Cutlass for MoWT. Damaged by a mine on 21 November 1944 off the Digne Light, Le Havre, towed to port and repaired. To Royal Navy in January 1945 as HMS Sansovino. Returned in June to MoWT and reverted to Empire Cutlass. To USMC in 1947, proposed sale to China in 1948 postponed due to communist revolution. Laid up in the James River, Virginia. Sold in 1960 to China Merchants Steam Navigation Co Ltd, Taiwan and renamed Hai Ou. Scrapped in 1970 at Kaohsiung.
 * SS Empire Javelin – LSI(L)
 * HMS Empire Spearhead
 * HMS Glengyle – LSI(L), 10,000 tons, 700 troops
 * Glenearn LSI(L)
 * Glenroy LSI(L)
 * HMS Invicta
 * HMAS Kanimbla (1936)
 * Karanja – LSI(L), sunk off Algeria, 1942
 * HMAS Manoora (1935)
 * HMS Monowai – formerly an ocean-going passenger ship
 * HMS Nemesis – former Belgian ferry SS Princesse Marie-José, also served as HMS Baldur
 * HMS Prince Charles
 * HMCS Prince David – LSI(M), 500 troops
 * HMS Prince Henry – LSI(M)
 * HMS Prince Leopold – LSI(S), former Belgian cross channel ferry, torpedoed in 1944 by GERMAN SUBMARINE U-621
 * HMS Princess Astrid – LSI(S)
 * HMS Princess Beatrix – LSI(M)
 * HMS Princess Josephine Charlotte – LSI(S)
 * HMS Prins Albert (1941)
 * HMS Queen Emma – LSI(M)
 * HMS Rocksand (F184) – formerly Empire Anvil
 * HMS Royal Scotsman – LSI(H), former passenger ferry operating in the Irish Sea
 * HMS Royal Ulsterman
 * HMS Sainfoin (F183) – formerly Empire Crossbow
 * Sobieski with LCP(L)s
 * HMAS Westralia (1939)