WWII: total number of Allied ships used during D-Day 1944

Between June and August 1944, during the largest amphibious invasion in human history, the Allied forces used thousands of ships to transport almost 3.5 million men and support them during the invasion of Normandy. The fleet of warships included seven battleships, 21 light and heavy cruisers, almost 140 destroyers and escorts, and over 500 other warships such as minesweepers, frigates, and headquarter ships used by naval command. On the night of June 5-6, as thousands of men were being airdropped behind enemy lines, minesweepers played a vital role in clearing the path for the D-Day landings, before the heavier ships bombarded the beach defenses before the beach landings (albeit, with limited effect). Allied soldiers began disembarking on all five French beaches between 6:30am and 7:30am on, and established a foothold on the Normandy coast by the end of the day. Over 4,000 landing craft were in use on D-Day alone, with more in operation as the invasion continued. LCVPs (landing craft, vehicles, personnel) or "Higgins boats" were the most commonly used in the D-Day landings, and they could carry roughly 36 men at full capacity. Due to the roughness of the seas on June 6., congestion, and the slowness of the landing barges in the convoys (many of which were converted civilian river barges, which could only travel at around six miles per hour), the cross-channel journey took almost a day in many cases. The delayed invasion on D-Day also meant many men were at sea for over 36 hours before the invasion.