Merchant hulls can become a wartime transport reserve

Can governments use commercial ships as wartime transport, and could a car carrier support a surprise landing?

Yes. Container ships can be adapted quickly, and a car carrier could move equipment to seize and hold a port, though neither replaces a complete purpose-built assault force.

Merchant shipping can serve as wartime infrastructure much like a mobilized railway. Most container ships can be modified quickly for practical transport work. An earlier exchange adds that a car carrier could move enough equipment for a small surprise landing and help hold a port until reinforcements arrived, which makes an unexpected vehicle carrier worth watching during a crisis. These hulls provide strategic lift and sustainment without the docks, connectors, command facilities, or protection of an LPD. Mobilizing transport capacity is different from creating a complete amphibious assault system.