USS Tripoli (LHA-7)

Last updated

USS Tripoli (LHA-7) underway in the Gulf of Mexico on 15 July 2019 (190715-O-N0101-115).JPG
USS Tripoli underway on 15 July 2019
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameTripoli
Namesake Battle of Derne
Awarded31 May 2012 [1]
Builder Huntington Ingalls Industries
Laid down20 June 2014 [2]
Launched1 May 2017 [3]
Sponsored byLynne Mabus [4]
Christened16 September 2017
Acquired28 February 2020 [5]
Commissioned15 July 2020 [6]
Homeport San Diego
Identification
Motto
  • In ære terram marique
  • (In the Air, on Land, and Sea)
Statusin active service
Badge USS Tripoli (LHA-7) Crest.png
General characteristics
Class and type America-class amphibious assault ship
Displacement44,971 long tons (45,693 t)
Length844 ft (257 m)
Beam106 ft (32 m)
Draft26 ft (7.9 m) (7.9 meters)
PropulsionTwo marine gas turbines, two shafts, 70,000 bhp (52,000 kW), two 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) auxiliary propulsion motors.
Speed22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)+
Complement
  • 102 officers, 1,102 enlisted
  • 1,687 marines (plus 184 surge)
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried

USS Tripoli (LHA-7) is the second America-class amphibious assault ship built for the United States Navy. On 7 May 2012, United States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship's name as Tripoli, in honor of the US Marine Corps victory against Tripoli at the Battle of Derna during the First Barbary War. [8] [9] This is the third US Naval ship to carry the name, the first being USS Tripoli (CVE-64), an escort carrier from World War II and the second being USS Tripoli (LPH-10), an amphibious assault ship that served during the Cold War.

Contents

Design and construction

The design of Tripoli is based on USS Makin Island, which is itself an improved version of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. Approximately 45% of the Flight 0 design is based on LHD-8, with the well deck removed to allow more room for aircraft and aviation fuel. [10] The removal of the well deck for landing craft allows for an extended hangar deck with two significantly wider high bay areas, each fitted with an overhead crane for aircraft maintenance.

Other enhancements include a reconfigurable command and control complex, an on-board hospital, and numerous aviation support spaces. [11] The design of Tripoli features an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation maintenance facilities, and a significant increase in her available stowage for parts and support equipment. She was intended to be the first LHA replacement ship to deliver fully ready to integrate the entire future air combat element of the U.S. Marine Corps to include the F-35B Lightning II, but construction delays have pushed final F-35 capability installs until delivery. [2] [4]

Tripoli was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding (Huntington Ingalls Industries) at the company's shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Fabrication of ship components began in July 2013, and the ship's keel was laid in a ceremony on 20 June 2014 in Pascagoula. [2] Tripoli was launched on 1 May and later christened on 16 September 2017, with Lynne Mabus, wife of former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, as her sponsor. [4]

By 2019, Tripoli was about a year behind production schedules. [12] The ship was delivered to the Navy on 28 February 2020. [5]

Covid pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, on 17 April 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported that Navy officials had stated that at least 9 sailors assigned to the ship had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. [13] At the time, the ship was docked in Pascagoula, Mississippi. [5] [lower-alpha 1] About 630 sailors were moved off the ship as a preventative measure, which resulted in the outbreak spreading to only "around a couple dozen sailors". [14] As a result of the pandemic, the ship's public commissioning ceremony originally planned to occur at NAS Pensacola in June was also cancelled. Subsequently, Tripoli was commissioned on 15 July 2020 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the ship was built. [15]

Ship's history

In September 2020, Tripoli completed a homeport shift from Pascagoula, Mississippi to San Diego, California. [16]

On 2 May 2022, Tripoli departed Naval Station San Diego for the Western Pacific Ocean on her maiden deployment, taking on 20 F-35Bs at one point in a test of the "lightning carrier" concept. [17] [18] On 25 July 2022, she transitioned to an amphibious ready role by embarking the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit at Naval Base Okinawa, Japan, before transiting the South China Sea to make a port call at Singapore's Changi Naval Base on 31 Aug 2022. [19] She returned to San Diego on 29 November 2022. [20]

Awards

Etymology

Tripoli is the third U.S. Navy ship named for the Battle of Derne in 1805. It was the decisive victory of a mercenary army led by a detachment of United States Marines and soldiers against the forces of Tripoli during the First Barbary War. It was the first recorded land battle of the United States fought overseas. [22] Fallujah, after the Second Battle of Fallujah, was suggested as a name but was ultimately not chosen. [23] This name was given to another America-class ship, LHA-9. [24]

Notes

  1. ↑ It is unclear whether the sailors had tested positive before or after delivery of the ship, with one source stating that "the ship was set to be delivered ... and hundreds of sailors moved aboard in mid-March". [5] [14]

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Kearsarge</i> (LHD-3) Amphibious assault ship of the U.S. Navy

USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) is the third Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy. She is the fifth ship to bear that name, but the fourth to serve under it, as the third was renamed Hornet (CV-12) before launching.

USS <i>Tarawa</i> (LHA-1) US Navy amphibious assault ship

USS Tarawa (LHA-1), the lead ship of her class, was an amphibious assault ship that served in the United States Navy from 1976 to 2009. She was the second ship to be named for the Battle of Tarawa, fought during World War II. Tarawa was decommissioned on 31 March 2009, at San Diego Naval Base.

<i>Tarawa</i>-class amphibious assault ship Class of US amphibious assault ships

The Tarawa class is a ship class of Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA) type amphibious assault ships operated by the United States Navy (USN). Five ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding between 1971 and 1980; another four ships were planned, but later canceled; instead they were joined by the Wasp-class amphibious assault ships.

<i>Wasp</i>-class amphibious assault ship Class of American amphibious assault ships

The Wasp-class is a class of landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ships operated by the United States Navy. Based on the Tarawa class, with modifications to operate more advanced aircraft and landing craft, the Wasp-class is capable of transporting almost the full strength of a United States Marine Corps Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and landing them in hostile territory via landing craft or helicopters as well as providing air support via AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft or F-35B Lightning II stealth strike-fighters. All Wasp-class ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, at Pascagoula, Mississippi, with the lead ship, USS Wasp, commissioned on 29 July 1989. Eight Wasp-class ships were built, and as of April 2021, seven are in active service, as USS Bonhomme Richard was seriously damaged by fire on 12 July 2020, and subsequently decommissioned in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingalls Shipbuilding</span> Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi

Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and, as of 2023, is the largest private employer in Mississippi.

USS <i>Bonhomme Richard</i> (LHD-6) Wasp-class amphibious assault ship

USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) was a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy commissioned on 15 August 1998. Like the previous five Wasp-class ships, Bonhomme Richard was designed to embark, deploy, and land elements of a Marine Corps landing force in amphibious assault operations by helicopter, landing craft, and amphibious vehicle, and, if needed, to act as a light aircraft carrier.

USS <i>Wasp</i> (LHD-1) US Navy amphibious assault ship

USS Wasp (LHD-1) is a United States Navy multipurpose amphibious assault ship, and the lead ship of her class. She is the tenth USN vessel to bear the name since 1775, with the last two ships named Wasp being aircraft carriers. She was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Litton in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Wasp and her sister ships are the first specifically designed to accommodate new Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) for fast troop movement over the beach, and Harrier II (AV-8B) Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) jets which provide close air support for the assault force. She can also accommodate the full range of Navy and Marine Corps helicopters, the tiltrotor MV-22 Osprey, the F-35B Lightning II multi-role fighter, conventional landing craft, and amphibious vehicles.

USS <i>Essex</i> (LHD-2) Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the US Navy

USS Essex (LHD-2) is a Wasp-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) in service with the United States Navy. The amphibious assault ship was built at what is now Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was launched 23 February 1991 and commissioned on 17 October 1992 while moored at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island. She is the fifth ship named for Essex County, Massachusetts. Essex served as the command ship for Expeditionary Strike Group Seven until replaced by USS Bonhomme Richard on 23 April 2012.

USS <i>Bataan</i> (LHD-5) Wasp-class amphibious assault ship

USS Bataan (LHD-5) is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship in the United States Navy. The ship is named after the Battle of Bataan, fought in the Philippines during World War II. The ship enables the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps team to seamlessly transition from the sea to a land battle, as the lead ship and centerpiece of an Amphibious Ready Group. She is capable of amphibious assault, advance force, and special purpose operations, as well as evacuation and humanitarian assistance.

USS <i>Iwo Jima</i> (LHD-7) U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship

USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Battle of Iwo Jima of World War II. The ship was commissioned in 2001 and is in service.

USS <i>Makin Island</i> (LHD-8) US Navy amphibious assault ship

USS Makin Island (LHD-8), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Makin Island, target of the Marine Raiders' Makin Island raid early on in the United States' involvement in World War II.

<i>America</i>-class amphibious assault ship Amphibious Assault Ship

The America class is a ship class of landing helicopter assault (LHA) type amphibious assault ships for the United States Navy (USN). The class is designed to put ashore a Marine Expeditionary Unit using helicopters and MV-22B Osprey V/STOL transport aircraft, supported by AV-8B Harrier II or F-35 Lightning II V/STOL aircraft and various attack helicopters. The first of these warships was commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 2014 to replace USS Peleliu of the Tarawa class; as many as eleven will be built. The design of the America class is based on that of USS Makin Island, the last ship of the Wasp class, but the "Flight 0" ships of the America class will not have well decks, and have smaller on-board hospitals to provide more space for aviation uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expeditionary strike group</span> Organizational unit within the US Navy

In the United States Navy, the expeditionary strike group (ESG) is a coordinated group of surface ships, aircraft, submarines, and other naval assets. In contrast to carrier strike groups (CSGs), which emphasize air power and are led by a supercarrier, ESGs are strongly suited for amphibious warfare and are led by an amphibious assault ship. The ESG concept was introduced in the early 1990s, based on the Naval Expeditionary Task Force. The U.S. Navy fields nine expeditionary strike groups.

USS <i>America</i> (LHA-6) America-class amphibious assault ship

USS America (LHA-6), is an amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy and the lead ship of the America-class amphibious assault ship. The fourth U.S. warship to be named for the United States of America, she was delivered in spring of 2014, replacing Peleliu of the Tarawa class. Her mission is to act as the flagship of an expeditionary strike group or amphibious ready group, carrying part of a Marine expeditionary unit into battle and putting them ashore with helicopters and V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, supported by F-35B Lightning II aircraft and helicopter gunships.

USS <i>Fitzgerald</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), named for United States Navy officer Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald, is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntington Ingalls Industries</span> American shipbuilding company

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) is the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States as well as a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. HII, ranked No. 375 on the Fortune 500, was formed on 31 March 2011, as a divestiture from Northrop Grumman.

USS <i>Bougainville</i> (LHA-8) America-class amphibious assault ship

USS Bougainville (LHA-8) is an America-class amphibious assault ship currently under construction for the United States Navy. She will be the second Navy ship to be named Bougainville.

USS <i>Fallujah</i> America-class amphibious assault ship

USS Fallujah (LHA-9) will be an America-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy and the first ship to bear this name to commemorate the first and second battles at Fallujah during the Iraq War in 2004. On 13 December 2022, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced the name in a press release.

USS <i>Helmand Province</i> US Navy vessel

USS Helmand Province (LHA-10) will be the fifth America-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy. The ship is named after the Afghan Helmand Province, the site of a US Marine Corps campaign during the War in Afghanistan.

References

  1. ↑ "Tripoli (LHA 7)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Future USS Tripoli (LHA 7) Keel Authenticated" (Press release). United States Navy. 21 June 2014. NNS140621-05. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Future USS Tripoli Launched Following Translation" (Press release). United States Navy. 2 May 2017. NNS170502-46. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Navy to Christen Amphibious Assault Ship Tripoli" (Press release). Navy News Service. 14 September 2017. NNS170914-17. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Tripoli" (Press release). United States Navy. 28 February 2020. NNS200228-09. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ship USS Tripoli Joins the Fleet" (Press release). United States Navy. 15 July 2020. NNS200715-06. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  7. 1 2 LHA 6 (formerly LHA(R)) New Amphibious Assault Ship (PDF) (Report). United States Navy. 2008.
  8. ↑ "SECNAV Announces USS Tripoli as Name for Next LHA 7". navaltoday.com. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress" (PDF). fas.org. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs (Report). Washington, D.C.: Government Accountability Office. 30 March 2009. GAO-09-326SP. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs (30 June 2008). "Navy Names New Amphibious Assault Ship" (Press release). United States Navy. NNS080630-13.
  12. ↑ Werner, Ben (1 August 2019). "Amphibious Assault Ship Tripoli's Delivery Pushed To Late 2019 or Early 2020". USNI News . Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Youssef, Nancy A. (17 April 2020). "Aircraft Carrier Outbreak Spread At First Without Symptoms, Officials Say". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  14. 1 2 Dyer, Matthew (2 May 2020). "How coronavirus outbreaks on four other ships informed response on USS Kidd". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ship USS Tripoli Joins the Fleet". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  16. ↑ Fleet, Commander, Naval Surface Force, U. S. Pacific. "USS Tripoli Arrives in San Diego". www.public.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ "USS Tripoli Quietly Leaves on Maiden Deployment". USNI News. 3 May 2022.
  18. ↑ "3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Expeditionary Strike Group 3 demonstrate Lightning carrier conce". United States Marine Corps Flagship.
  19. ↑ "USS Tripoli Arrives in Singapore as Chinese Warships Continue to Operate Near Japan". USNI News. 31 August 2022.
  20. ↑ "UPDATED: USS Tripoli Returns to San Diego After Seven-Month Maiden Deployment - USNI News".
  21. ↑ "Tripoli Earns Admiral Flatley Memorial Award for Aviation Safety".
  22. ↑ "Tripoli (LHA-7)".
  23. ↑ "When Will The Battle Of Fallujah Get The Recognition It Deserves?". Task & Purpose. 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  24. ↑ "SECNAV Names Future America-Class Amphibious Assault Ship Fallujah". Naval News. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.