Wasp-class Amphibious Assault Ship
The USS Wasp (LHD-1), in March 2004. |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Wasp |
| Builders: | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Operators: | United States Navy |
| Preceded by: | Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship |
| Succeeded by: | America-class amphibious assault ship |
| Cost: | $750 million each, average |
| In commission: | 1989–present |
| Completed: | 8 |
| Active: | 8 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship |
| Displacement: | 41,150 t (40,500 long tons; 45,360 short tons) full load |
| Length: | 253.2 m (831 ft) |
| Beam: | 31.8 m (104 ft) |
| Draft: | 8.1 m (27 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Two boilers, two geared steam turbines, two shafts, 70,000 shaft-horsepower; two General Electric LM2500 geared gas turbines, two shafts (USS Makin Island) |
| Speed: | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Range: | 9,500 nautical miles (17,600 km; 10,900 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried: |
3 Landing Craft Air Cushion or 12 Landing Craft Mechanized |
| Troops: | 1,894 Marine Detachment |
| Complement: | 1,208 |
| Armament: | Two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers Two Sea Sparrow missile launchers Three 20 mm Phalanx CIWS systems (LHD 5–7 with two) Four .50 BMG machine guns Four 25 mm Mk 38 chain guns (LHD 5–7 with three) |
| Aircraft carried: | Actual mix depends upon the mission Standard Complement: 6 AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft 4 AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter 12 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or 4+ MV-22 Osprey 4 CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters 3–4 UH-1N Huey helicopters Assault: 42 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or 22+ MV-22 Osprey Sea Control: 20 AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft 6 SH-60F/HH-60H ASW helicopters |
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. All Wasp-class ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, at Pascagoula, Mississippi, with lead ship USS Wasp commissioned on 29 July 1989. Eight Wasp-class ships were built, and as of 2011, all eight are active.
Read more about Wasp-class Amphibious Assault Ship: Design, Construction, Ships and Homeports
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