The Toku Daihatsu Class or 17m landing craft was a type of landing craft

Landing craft

Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...

, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It was a larger design of the Daihatsu Class landing craft, with a bow ramp that was lowered to disembark cargo upon riding up onto the beach. It was constructed of a metal hull and powered by a diesel engine.

Designed to carry a medium-sized tank or two eight ton tanks. The landing craft was used extensively to run troops and supplies to isolated garrisons, referred to as ant runs by the Japanese. The Allied

Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

 air forces and U.S PT boat

PT boat

PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...

s undertook increasingly successful raids at intercepting and destroying these craft towards the end of World War II.