Wasp-class amphibious assault ship

Last updated

USS Wasp (LHD-1) Osprey 2.jpg
USS Wasp on 4 October 2007
Class overview
NameWasp class
Builders Ingalls Shipbuilding
OperatorsFlag of the United States.svg  United States Navy
Preceded by Tarawa class
Succeeded by America class
CostRoughly 2.22 billion in 2023 dollars [1] [2]
In commission1989–present
Completed8
Active7
Retired1
General characteristics
Type Landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship
Displacement40,500 long tons (41,150 t) full load
Length843 ft (257 m)
Beam104 ft (31.8 m)
Draft27 ft (8.1 m)
Propulsion
Speed22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Range9,500 nautical miles (17,600 km; 10,900 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Well deck dimensions:266-by-50-foot (81 by 15.2 m) by 28-foot (8.5 m) high
Boats & landing
craft carried
Troops1,687 troops (plus 184 surge) Marine Detachment
Complement66 officers, 1,004 enlisted [3]
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Aircraft carried
Aviation facilities Hangar deck

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. [4] [5]

Contents

Design

The Wasp-class is based on the preceding Tarawa-class design. [6] The design was modified to allow for the operation of AV-8B Harrier II aircraft and Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft, making the Wasp class the first ships specifically designed to operate these. [7]

Wasp, left, and Tarawa-class Saipan, in 1993. USS Saipan (LHA-2) and USS Wasp (LHD-1) at Norfolk in 1993.JPEG
Wasp, left, and Tarawa-class Saipan, in 1993.

The main physical changes between the two designs are the lower placement of the ship's bridge in the Wasp class, the relocation of the command and control facilities to inside the hull, [6] the removal of the 5-inch (127 mm) Mk 45 naval guns and their sponsons on the forward edge of the flight deck, and a lengthening of 24 feet (7.3 m) to carry the LCACs.[ citation needed ]

Each Wasp-class ship has a displacement of 40,500 long tons (41,150 t) at full load, is 831 feet (253.2 m) long, has a beam of 104 feet (31.8 m), and a draft of 27 feet (8.1 m). [8] For propulsion, most of the ships are fitted with two steam boilers connected to geared turbines, which deliver 70,000 shaft horsepower (52,000 kW) to the two propeller shafts. [8] This allows the LHDs to reach speeds of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph), with a range of 9,500 nautical miles (17,600 km; 10,900 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). [8] The last ship of the class, USS Makin Island, was instead fitted with two General Electric LM2500 geared gas turbines. [9] The ship's company consists of 1,208 personnel. [8]

Amphibious operations

The LHDs can support amphibious landings in two forms: by landing craft and by helicopter. [8] In the 266-by-50-foot (81 by 15.2 m) by 28-foot (8.5 m) high well deck, [2] the LHDs can carry three Landing Craft Air Cushion, twelve Landing Craft Mechanised, or 40 Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs), with another 21 AAVs on the vehicle deck. [8] The flight deck has nine helicopter landing spots and can operate helicopters and tiltrotors as large as the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion and MV-22B Osprey. [8] The size of the air combat element varies depending on the operation: a standard air combat element consists of six Harriers or six F-35B Lightning IIs and four AH-1W /Z Super Cobra /Viper attack helicopters for attack and support, twelve Ospreys and four Super Stallions for transport, and three or four Bell UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. [10] [8] For a full assault, the air group can have a maximum of 22 Ospreys, while a Wasp operating in the sea control or "Harrier carrier" or "Lightning carrier" configuration carries 20 AV-8Bs or F-35Bs (though some ships of the class have operated as many as 24 Harriers), supported by 6 Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters for anti-submarine warfare. [10] [8] Two aircraft elevators move aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar; in order to transit the Panama Canal, these elevators need to be folded in. [8]

USS Essex performing a stern gate mating with a landing craft USS Essex Thailand.jpg
USS Essex performing a stern gate mating with a landing craft

Each ship is capable of hosting 1,894 personnel of the United States Marine Corps; almost the full strength of a marine expeditionary unit (MEU). [8] A Wasp-class vessel can transport up to 30,800 square feet (2,860 m2) of cargo, and another 20,000 square feet (1,858 m2) is allocated for the MEU's vehicles, which typically include 5 M1 Abrams battle tanks, up to 25 AAVs, 8 M198 howitzers, 68 trucks, and up to 12 other support vehicles. [8] A six-track internal monorail system and six 12,000-pound (5,400 kg) internal elevators are used to shift cargo from the cargo holds to landing craft in the well deck. [2] [8]

Each Wasp-class ship has a hospital with 64 patient beds and 6 operating rooms. An additional 536 beds can be set up in an overflow casualty ward as needed. [8] [11]

Armament and sensors

Air traffic control aboard the USS Wasp Sailors stand watch aboard USS Wasp (LHD 1). (50432290347).jpg
Air traffic control aboard the USS Wasp

The armament of the first four Wasp class consists of two Mark 29 octuple launchers for RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, two Mark 49 launchers for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, three 20 mm Phalanx CIWSs, four 25 mm Mark 38 chain gun systems, and four .50 caliber machine guns. [8] The next four ships, Bataan, Bonhomme Richard, Iwo Jima, and Makin Island, have a slightly reduced weapons outfit compared to their preceding sister ships, with one Phalanx and one Mark 38 gun removed. [8]

Countermeasures fitted to the ships include four to six Mark 36 SRBOC chaff and decoy launchers, an AN/SLQ-25 torpedo decoy, AN/SLQ-49 chaff buoys, a Sea Gnat missile decoy, and an AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite. [8]

The sensor suite fitted to each ship comprises an AN/SPS-48 or AN/SPS-52 air-search radar backed up by an AN/SPS-49 air-search radar, an SPS-67 surface search radar, an AN/URN-25 TACAN system, along with several additional radars for navigation and fire control. [8]

Construction

All Wasp-class ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, at Pascagoula, Mississippi. [12] The first ship of the class, USS Wasp, was commissioned on 29 July 1989. [13]

The fifth ship of the class, USS Bataan, was constructed through a process of modular assembly and prefitting out, which meant that the LHD was almost 75 percent complete when she was launched. [8] Bataan was also the first LHD that was purpose built to house female crew members (as opposed to being modified after completion), with dedicated berths for up to 450 female sailors or Marines. [8]

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera in 2014 suggested that Japan purchase at least one Wasp-class ship to provide robust defensive amphibious capability for Japanese outer islands in the face of Chinese threats. [14]

Ships in class

NameHull numberLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedHomeportStatus
Wasp LHD-130 May 19854 August 198729 July 1989 Norfolk, Virginia Active in service
Essex LHD-220 March 198923 February 199117 October 1992 San Diego, California Active in service
Kearsarge LHD-36 February 199026 March 199216 October 1993 Norfolk, Virginia Active in service
Boxer LHD-418 April 199113 August 199311 February 1995 San Diego, California Active in service
Bataan LHD-522 June 199415 March 199620 September 1997 Norfolk, Virginia Active in service
Bonhomme Richard LHD-618 April 199514 March 199715 August 199815 April 2021 [15] Sold for scrap
Iwo Jima LHD-712 December 19974 February 200030 June 2001 Norfolk, Virginia Active in service
Makin Island LHD-814 February 200422 September 200624 October 2009 San Diego, California Active in service

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aircraft carrier</span> Warship that serves as a seagoing airbase

An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a naval force to project air power worldwide without depending on local bases for staging aircraft operations. Carriers have evolved since their inception in the early twentieth century from wooden vessels used to deploy balloons to nuclear-powered warships that carry numerous fighters, strike aircraft, helicopters, and other types of aircraft. While heavier aircraft such as fixed-wing gunships and bombers have been launched from aircraft carriers, these aircraft have not landed on a carrier. By its diplomatic and tactical power, its mobility, its autonomy and the variety of its means, the aircraft carrier is often the centerpiece of modern combat fleets. Tactically or even strategically, it replaced the battleship in the role of flagship of a fleet. One of its great advantages is that, by sailing in international waters, it does not interfere with any territorial sovereignty and thus obviates the need for overflight authorizations from third-party countries, reduces the times and transit distances of aircraft and therefore significantly increases the time of availability on the combat zone.

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.

<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.

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>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. The ship effected the 2020 targeted killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the commander of the Quds Force, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landing platform helicopter</span> Hull classification used by a number of the worlds navies

Landing platform helicopter (LPH) is a term used by some navies to denote a type of amphibious warfare ship designed primarily to operate as a launch and recovery platform for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft. As such, they are considered a type of helicopter carrier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landing helicopter dock</span> Ship type

A landing helicopter dock (LHD) is a multipurpose amphibious assault ship which is capable of operating helicopters and has a well deck. The United States Navy (USN) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) use the term as a hull classification symbol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landing helicopter assault</span> Amphibious assault ship that can carry helicopters

Landing helicopter assault (LHA) is the United States Navy's hull classification symbol for the general-purpose helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ships of the Tarawa and America classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphibious ready group</span> US Amphibious Assault Group

An amphibious ready group (ARG) of the United States Navy consists of a naval element—a group of warships known as an Amphibious Task Force (ATF)—and a landing force (LF) of U.S. Marines, in total about 5,000 people. Together, these elements and supporting units are trained, organized, and equipped to perform amphibious operations.

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.

Sea Control Ship Concept aircraft carrier

The Sea Control Ship (SCS) was a small aircraft carrier developed and conceptualized by the United States Navy under Chief of Naval Operations Elmo Zumwalt during the 1970s. Currently the term refers to naval vessels that can perform similar duties. The SCS was intended as an escort vessel, providing air support for convoys. It was canceled after budgetary cuts to the US Navy.

Spanish amphibious assault ship <i>Juan Carlos I</i> Amphibious assault ship

Juan Carlos I is a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship-aircraft carrier in the Spanish Navy. Similar in role to many aircraft carriers, the amphibious landing ship has a ski jump for STOVL operations, and is equipped with the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft. The vessel is named in honour of Juan Carlos I, the former King of Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helicopter carrier</span> Type of aircraft carrier

A helicopter carrier is a type of aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters. It has a large flight deck that occupies a substantial part of the deck, which can extend the full length of the ship like HMS Ocean of the Royal Navy (RN), or extend only partway, usually aft, as in the Soviet Navy's Moskva class or in the Chinese Navy's Type 0891A. It often also has a hangar deck for the storage of aircraft.

<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 of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphibious assault ship</span> Type of warship used in amphibious assaults

An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory during an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers. Modern designs support amphibious landing craft, with most designs including a well deck. Like the aircraft carriers they were developed from, some amphibious assault ships also support V/STOL fixed-wing aircraft and have a secondary role as aircraft carriers.

USS <i>Tripoli</i> (LHA-7) America-class amphibious assault ship

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. 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.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 30 November 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  2. 1 2 3 "LHD-1 Wasp Class". Warships Forecast. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Fact File: Amphibious Assault Ships – LHD/LHA(R)". U.S. Navy. 13 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "USS Bonhomme Richard fire: Sailors injured, crews battle blaze at Naval Base San Diego". KGTV. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Fire-ravaged Bonhomme Richard will be decommissioned, then towed away for scrapping". The San Diego Union-Tribune. 9 April 2021.
  6. 1 2 Bishop & Chant, Aircraft Carriers, p. 230
  7. ↑ "Wasp class Amphibious assault ship". Military Today. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Bishop & Chant, Aircraft Carriers, p. 231.
  9. ↑ Liewer, Steve (15 September 2009). "Navy Goes Green With New Hybrid Ship". The San Diego Union-Tribune . p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 September 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  10. 1 2 "LHD-1 Wasp class". Federation of American Scientists. 9 May 2000. Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  11. ↑ "USS Kearsarge LHD-3 Ship's Loading Characteristics Pamphlet". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "Northrop Grumman Starts Fabrication on Eighth LHD 1 Wasp-class Ship" (Press release). Pascagoula, Mississippi: Northrop Grumman. 27 May 2003. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  13. ↑ "Wasp To 'Come Alive' today at Naval Yard". Daily Press. Norfolk, Virginia. 29 July 1989. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  14. ↑ Onodera sets out plans to buy amphibious assault ships (archived from the original on 26 July 2014)
  15. ↑ "BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD 6)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 15 December 2021.

Bibliography

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.