Okinawa revealed the need for small-craft gunboats

At Okinawa, LCI gunboats guarded the transport area against Japanese small craft, primarily at night. Patrol stations were about three miles long and two miles wide, with the line roughly one mile offshore. Each station held an LCI-type gunboat, fitted with radar where possible, while a cruiser and destroyer supported each group of five or six from farther seaward. These landing craft had first provided fire support for troops approaching the beach, then taken on patrol duties because suitable gunboats were scarce. PT-boat crews added weapons, but torpedo-focused hulls could not carry all the firepower required for this defensive work. The comparison favors the more adaptable Higgins and Huckins designs and the British Fairmile D for sustained screening duties.