Wasp-class amphibious assault ship
USS Wasp on 4 October 2007
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Class overview | |
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Name | Wasp class |
Builders | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
Operators | United States Navy |
Preceded by | Tarawa class |
Succeeded by | America class |
Cost | Roughly 2.22 billion in 2023 dollars[1][2] |
In commission | 1989–present |
Completed | 8 |
Active | 7 |
Retired | 1 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship |
Displacement | 40,500 long tons (41,150 t) full load |
Length | 843 ft (257 m) |
Beam | 104 ft (31.8 m) |
Draft | 27 ft (8.1 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
Range | 9,500 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 |
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Troops | 1,687 troops (plus 184 surge) Marine Detachment |
Complement | 66 officers, 1,004 enlisted[3] |
Sensors and processing systems | |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried |
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Aviation facilities | Hangar deck |
The Wasp-class is a
Design
The Wasp-class is based on the preceding
The main physical changes between the two designs are the lower placement of the ship's
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.
Each ship is capable of hosting 1,894 personnel of the
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
The armament of the first four Wasp class consists of two Mark 29 octuple launchers for
Countermeasures fitted to the ships include four to six
The sensor suite fitted to each ship comprises an
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
Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Homeport | Status |
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Wasp | LHD-1 | 30 May 1985 | 4 August 1987 | 29 July 1989 | Norfolk, Virginia | Active in service | |
Essex | LHD-2 | 20 March 1989 | 23 February 1991 | 17 October 1992 | San Diego, California | Active in service | |
Kearsarge | LHD-3 | 6 February 1990 | 26 March 1992 | 16 October 1993 | Norfolk, Virginia | Active in service | |
Boxer | LHD-4 | 18 April 1991 | 13 August 1993 | 11 February 1995 | San Diego, California | Active in service | |
Bataan | LHD-5 | 22 June 1994 | 15 March 1996 | 20 September 1997 | Norfolk, Virginia | Active in service | |
Bonhomme Richard | LHD-6 | 18 April 1995 | 14 March 1997 | 15 August 1998 | 15 April 2021[15] | Sold for scrap | |
Iwo Jima | LHD-7 | 12 December 1997 | 4 February 2000 | 30 June 2001 | Norfolk, Virginia | Active in service | |
Makin Island | LHD-8 | 14 February 2004 | 22 September 2006 | 24 October 2009 | San Diego, California | Active in service |
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A Sea Sparrow missile being launched by USS Makin Island
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A CH-53E Super Stallion lifting pallets off USS Bataan
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USS Bonhomme Richard on fire at Naval Base San Diego, California, on 12 July 2020.
References
Citations
- Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ a b c "LHD-1 Wasp Class". Warships Forecast. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ "USS Bonhomme Richard fire: Sailors injured, crews battle blaze at Naval Base San Diego". KGTV. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "Fire-ravaged Bonhomme Richard will be decommissioned, then towed away for scrapping". The San Diego Union-Tribune. 9 April 2021.
- ^ a b Bishop & Chant, Aircraft Carriers, p. 230
- ^ "Wasp class Amphibious assault ship". Military Today. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Bishop & Chant, Aircraft Carriers, p. 231.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "LHD-1 Wasp class". Federation of American Scientists. 9 May 2000. Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- ^ "USS Kearsarge LHD-3 Ship's Loading Characteristics Pamphlet". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Onodera sets out plans to buy amphibious assault ships (archived from the original on 26 July 2014)
- ^ "BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD 6)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
Bibliography
- Bishop, Chris; Chant, Christopher (2004). Aircraft Carriers: The World's Greatest Naval Vessels and Their Aircraft. London: MBI. OCLC 56646560.