Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship

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USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) aft.jpg
USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), the lead ship of the class, off the coast of South Vietnam in 1965.
Class overview
Builders
OperatorsFlag of the United States.svg  United States Navy
Preceded by Essex class (some ships converted)
Succeeded by Tarawa class
In commission1961–2002
Completed7
Retired7
General characteristics
Type Amphibious assault ship (LPH)
Displacement
Length592 ft (180 m)
Beam84 ft (26 m)
Draft27 ft (8.2 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × 600 psi (4.1 MPa) boilers,
  • one geared steam turbine,
  • one shaft,
  • 22,000 shaft horsepower (16  MW)
Speed22 knots (41 km/h)
Troops2,157
Complement667
Armament
Aviation facilities
  • 25 helicopters or AV-8 Harriers
  • Flight deck width: 105 ft (32 m)

The Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy were the first amphibious assault ships designed and built as dedicated helicopter carriers, capable of operating up to 20 helicopters to carry up to 1,800 marines ashore. [1] They were named for battles featuring the United States Marine Corps, starting with the Battle of Iwo Jima. The first ship of the class was commissioned in 1961, and the last was decommissioned in 2002. The hull classification of "LPH" stands for "Landing Platform Helicopter".

Contents

Operational history

Ships of this class participated in several conflicts and peacekeeping and humanitarian relief operations:

One ship of this class, USS Guam (LPH-9), was used in a 1970-1974 Sea Control Ship experiment to test the concept of a smaller aircraft carrier using V/STOL aircraft.

Another ship, USS Inchon (LPH-12), was converted to a mine countermeasures ship which hosted mine sweeping helicopters.

The hull design of the Iwo Jima-class also became the basis of the slightly larger Blue Ridge class of amphibious command ships. [2]

Ships in class

NameHull numberBuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedFate
Iwo Jima LPH-2 Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton 2 April 195917 September 196026 August 196114 July 1993Broken up at Brownsville, 1996
Okinawa LPH-3 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia 1 April 196019 August 196114 April 196217 December 1992Sunk as target, 6 June 2002
Guadalcanal LPH-71 September 196116 March 196320 July 196331 August 1994Sunk as target, 19 May 2005
Guam LPH-915 November 196222 August 196416 January 196525 August 1998Sunk as target, 16 October 2001
Tripoli LPH-10 Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula 15 June 196431 July 19656 August 196615 September 1995Broken up at Brownsville, 2018
New Orleans LPH-11Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia1 March 19663 February 196816 November 196831 October 1997Sunk as target, 10 July 2010
Inchon LPH-12Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascasgoula8 April 196824 May 196920 June 197020 June 2002Sunk as target, 5 December 2004

The seven ships of the Iwo Jima class were given non-sequential hull numbers, as, at the time of their construction, five existing aircraft carriers were being converted to serve in the Landing Platform Helicopter role - these five ships were renumbered, with the new ships slotted into a single sequence. The five existing ships were:

NamePrevious hull numberNew hull number
Block Island
CVE-106
LPH-1 [a]
Boxer
CV-21
LPH-4
Princeton
CV-37
LPH-5
Thetis Bay
CVE-90
LPH-6
Valley Forge
CV-45
LPH-8

Notes

  1. Block Island was redesignated from CVE-106 to LPH-1 in anticipation of the ship being converted into the LPH role under project SCB 159. However, before the work could begin, the ship's conversion was cancelled, and it reverted back to its original number. [3]

References

  1. Friedman, Norman (2002). U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Illustrated Design Histories. Naval Institute Press. pp. 351–362. ISBN   1-55750-250-1 . Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  2. Friedman, Norman (2002). U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Illustrated Design Histories. Naval Institute Press. pp. 428–429. ISBN   1-55750-250-1 . Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  3. Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. p. 356. ISBN   0-87021-739-9.