List of active Royal Marines military watercraft


List of active Royal Marines military watercraft is a list of landing craft and other watercraft in service with the Royal Marines. It consist of a varied fleet of transport vessels, patrol vessels and special forces watercraft maintained by the Royal Navy and designed to transport the Royal Marines or special forces from ship to shore as well as conduct river or estuary patrols.

Landing Craft

As of 2014, there are presently 33 Landing Craft in service with the Royal Marines; 10 LCUs, 19 LCVPs and 4 LCACs. Total displacement is approximately 3,000 tonnes.
Pennant No.DesignationTypeDisplacement
1001Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1002Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1003Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1004Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1005Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1006Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1007Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1008Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1009Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
1010Landing Craft UtilityMk10240 tonnes
9675Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9676Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9707Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9709Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9710Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9711Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9712Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9713Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9714Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9715Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9716Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9717Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9718Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9719Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9720Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9721Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9722Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9723Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
9724Landing Craft Vehicle PersonnelMk524 tonnes
C21Landing Craft Air Cushion2000TDX6.8 tonnes
C22Landing Craft Air Cushion2000TDX6.8 tonnes
C23Landing Craft Air Cushion2000TDX6.8 tonnes
C24Landing Craft Air Cushion2000TDX6.8 tonnes

Offshore Raiding Craft

The Offshore Raiding Craft is a recent addition to the Royal Marines inventory. The ORC is primarily employed for 'Strategic Raiding' where speed and covertness is desired, however, the Offshore Raiding Craft is equally as capable when conducting amphibious operations alongside the larger and more traditional LCACs, LCUs and LCVPs. The ORC is fitted with several general purpose machine guns as well as protection against enemy fire for the troops inside. The ORC can be underslung from a helicopter or deployed from ships of various sizes. 39 ORC are currently in service with the Royal Marines

Raiding Craft

The Raiding Craft are operated in large numbers by the Royal Marines and can be divided into two groups; The Rigid Raider, and the smaller Inflatable Raiding Craft. Despite being the smallest of the amphibious craft, the Raiding Craft are the most widely used due to their mobility and versatility. As such, the RCs often find themselves deployed in amphibious and riverine operations around the globe, in environments ranging from the Arctic to the tropics. Examples of these craft are not only embarked on all amphibious warfare vessels, but are also carried aboard other Royal Navy ships for use on patrol duties, such as searching ships or anti-piracy.

Specialist Craft

The Royal Navy operate three SDV Mk8 Mod 1 mini-submarines for use by the Special Boat Service. They are designed to deliver special forces personnel and their equipment for covert special operations missions on hostile shores. The British SDV Mk8 Mod 1 is the same as used by the United States Navy SEALs. In 2018 it was announced that the UK would buy three MK 11 Shallow Water Combat Submersibles to replace the Mk8s.
From 2011 to 2013, the Royal Marines leased four CB90-class fast assault craft from the Swedish Armed Forces to gain operational insight into the design and capabilities of such a craft. The CB90 or a similar vessel may in future fulfil the Royal Marines concept of the 'Future Force Protection Craft'. It is intended that such a vessel would provide a Task Group in the littoral zones protection from hostile fast attack craft.
The Fast Insertion Craft is in use with the Special Boat Service. It has a reported maximum speed of up to 55 knots and its hull features a highly stealthy design and advanced 'wave piercing' qualities. It is similar to the American Mark V Special Operations Craft.

Patrol Boats

The Royal Marines operate three dedicated patrol vessels of the Island-class based at HMNB Clyde. They are tasked with protecting high value Royal Navy ships such as the Vanguard-class submarines. The vessels -called Mull, Rona and Eorsa- are ex MoD Police boats. Mull and Rona were handed over to the Royal Marines during 2013, with Eorsa arriving at a later date.