Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship

Last updated

US Navy 050117-F-4884R-015 he amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) makes a wide turn prior to conducting helicopter operations off the coast of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.jpg
USS Fort McHenry conducting helicopter operations off the coast of Sumatra in 2005
Class overview
NameWhidbey Island class
Builders Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company
OperatorsFlag of the United States Navy (official).svg  United States Navy
Preceded by Anchorage class
Succeeded by Harpers Ferry class
Cost$250m
In commission1985–present
Planned8
Completed8
Active6
Retired2
General characteristics
Type Dock landing ship
Displacement16,100 tons
Length609 ft (186 m)
Beam84 ft (26 m)
Draft19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Propulsion4 Colt Industries, 16-cylinder diesel engines, 2 shafts, 33,000 shp (25,000 kW)
Speedover 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried		4+1 LCACs or 21 LCM-6s or up to 36 Amphibious Assault Vehicles AAV or 3 LCUs.
Capacityon deck: one LCM-6, two LCPL and one LCVP
Complement30 officers, 300+ enlisted Embarked Marine complement: up to 504
Armament
Aviation facilitiesLarge helicopter platform aft, no hangar

The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship is a dock landing ship of the United States Navy. Introduced to fleet service in 1985, this class of ship features a large well deck for transporting United States Marine Corps (USMC) vehicles and a large flight deck for landing helicopters or V-22 Ospreys. The well deck was designed to hold four LCAC hovercraft, five if the vehicle ramp is raised, for landing Marines. Recent deployments have used a combination of LCU(s), AAVs, tanks, LARCs and other USMC vehicles. The Whidbey Island class of ship also uniquely benefits from multiple cranes and a shallow draft that further make it ideal for participating in amphibious operations.

Contents

As of 2009, all ships of the class are scheduled to undergo a midlife upgrade over the next five years to ensure that they remain in service through 2038. The ships will be upgraded annually through 2013, and the last ship will be modernized in 2014. Ships homeported on the East Coast will undergo upgrades at Metro Machine Corp., while those on the West Coast will receive upgrades at General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego. [1]

Stern view of USS Tortuga with open well deck New Orleans USS Tortuga Katrina Sept 5.jpg
Stern view of USS Tortuga with open well deck

Major elements of the upgrade package include diesel engine improvements, fuel and maintenance savings systems, engineering control systems, increased air conditioning and chill water capacity, and replacement of air compressors. The ships also replaced steam systems with all-electric functionality that will decrease maintenance effort and expense. [1]

Ships

Ship NameHull No.BuilderLaid DownLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedHomeportNotes
Whidbey Island LSD-41 Lockheed, Seattle 4 August 198110 June 19839 February 198522 July 2022 [2] Philadelphia, PA (formerly Little Creek) LSD41
Germantown LSD-425 August 198229 June 19848 February 1986Proposed 2023 [3] San Diego, California LSD42
Fort McHenry LSD-4310 June 19831 February 19868 August 198727 March 2021 [4] Philadelphia, PA (formerly Mayport) LSD43
Gunston Hall LSD-44 Avondale Shipyard 26 May 198627 June 198722 April 1989Proposed 2023 [3] Little Creek, Virginia LSD44
Comstock LSD-4527 October 198615 January 19883 February 1990Proposed 2026 [3] San Diego, California LSD45
Tortuga LSD-4623 March 198715 September 198817 November 1990Proposed 2023 [3] Little Creek, Virginia LSD46
Rushmore LSD-479 November 19876 May 19891 June 1991Proposed 2024 [3] Sasebo, Japan LSD47
Ashland LSD-484 April 198811 November 19899 May 1992Proposed 2023 [3] Sasebo, Japan LSD48

Whidbey Island and Tortuga were scheduled to be decommissioned during the FYDP 2013-2018, and the remaining ships of the class were scheduled to be retired before the end of their service lives. [5] However, the Navy reversed its plan to decommission Whidbey Island, [6] and in 2015 Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley informed Congress of the Navy's plans to modernize Whidbey Island, Tortuga, and Germantown to extend them each to a 44-year total service life. [7]

Citations

  1. 1 2 "USS Gunston Hall Completes Sea Trials". Navy News Service. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  2. ↑ Mongilio, Heather (22 July 2022). "Navy Decommissions USS Whidbey Island". www.usni.org. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Navy Plans to Retire 48 Ships During 2022-2026". seapowermagazine.org. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  4. ↑ "USS Fort McHenry Decommissions After 33 Years of Service". www.navy.mil. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  5. ↑ IHS Jane's Fighting Ships Executive Summary 2012
  6. ↑ "Whidbey Island Rejoins the Fleet Better Than Ever" (Press release). Navy News Service. 9 November 2014. NNS141109-02. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "Statement of Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean J. Stackley; Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, Vice Adm. William H. Hilarides; and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Vice Adm. Joseph P. Mulloy before the Subcommittee on Seapower" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2016.

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References

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