_Osprey_2.jpg) USSWasp on 4 October 2007 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
|
| 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 | |
| Troops | 1,687 troops (plus 184 surge)Marine Detachment |
| Complement | 66 officers, 1,004 enlisted[3] |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried |
|
| Aviation facilities | Hangar deck |
TheWasp class is aclass oflanding helicopter dock (LHD)amphibious assault ships operated by theUnited States Navy. Based on theTarawa class, with modifications to operate more advanced aircraft andlanding craft, theWasp class is capable of transporting almost the full strength of aUnited States Marine CorpsMarine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and landing them in hostile territory via landing craft or helicopters as well as providing air support viaAV-8B Harrier IIattack aircraft orF-35B Lightning II stealth strike-fighters. AllWasp-class ships were built byIngalls Shipbuilding, atPascagoula, Mississippi, with the lead ship,USS Wasp, commissioned on 29 July 1989. EightWasp-class ships were built, and as of April 2021[update], seven are in active service, asUSS Bonhomme Richard was seriously damaged by fire on 12 July 2020, and subsequently decommissioned in April 2021.[4][5]
TheWasp class is based on the precedingTarawa-class design.[6] The design was modified to allow for the operation ofAV-8B Harrier II aircraft andLanding Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft, making theWasp class the first ships specifically designed to operate these.[7]
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The main physical changes between the two designs are the lower placement of the ship'sbridge in theWasp class, the relocation of the command and control facilities to inside the hull,[6] the removal of the5-inch (127 mm) Mk 45 naval guns and theirsponsons on the forward edge of the flight deck, and a lengthening of 24 feet (7.3 m) to carry the LCACs.[citation needed]
EachWasp-class ship has a displacement of 40,500 long tons (41,150 t) at full load, is 831 feet (253.2 m) long, has abeam of 104 feet (31.8 m), and adraft 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 70,000shaft horsepower (52,000 kW) to the two propeller shafts.[8] This allows the LHDs to reach speeds of 22knots (41 km/h; 25 mph), with a range of 9,500nautical 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 twoGeneral Electric LM2500 gearedgas turbines.[9] The ship's company consists of 1,208 personnel.[8]
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) highwell deck,[2] the LHDs can carry threeLanding Craft Air Cushion, twelveLanding Craft Mechanised, or 40Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs), with another 21 AAVs on the vehicle deck.[8] Theflight deck has nine helicopter landing spots and can operate helicopters and tiltrotors as large as theSikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion andMV-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 sixF-35B Lightning IIs and fourAH-1W/ZSuper Cobra/Viper attack helicopters for attack and support, twelve Ospreys and four Super Stallions for transport, and three or fourBell UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters.[10][8] For a full assault, the air group can have a maximum of 22 Ospreys, while aWasp operating in thesea 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 6Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters foranti-submarine warfare.[10][8] Two aircraft elevators move aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar; in order to transit thePanama Canal, these elevators need to be folded in.[8]
Each ship is capable of hosting 1,894 personnel of theUnited States Marine Corps; almost the full strength of amarine expeditionary unit (MEU).[8] AWasp-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 5M1 Abrams battle tanks, up to 25AAVs, 8M198 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]
EachWasp-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]
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The armament of the first fourWasp class consists of two Mark 29 octuple launchers forRIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, two Mark 49 launchers forRIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, three 20 mmPhalanx CIWSs, four25 mm Mark 38 chain gun systems, and four.50 caliber machine guns.[8] The next four ships,Bataan,Bonhomme Richard,Iwo Jima, andMakin 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 sixMark 36 SRBOC chaff and decoy launchers, anAN/SLQ-25 torpedo decoy,AN/SLQ-49 chaff buoys, aSea Gnat missile decoy, and anAN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite.[8]
The sensor suite fitted to each ship comprises anAN/SPS-48 orAN/SPS-52 air-search radar backed up by anAN/SPS-49 air-search radar, anSPS-67 surface search radar, anAN/URN-25TACAN system, along with several additional radars for navigation and fire control.[8]
AllWasp-class ships were built byIngalls Shipbuilding, atPascagoula, 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 MinisterItsunori Onodera in 2014 suggested that Japan purchase at least oneWasp-class ship to provide robust defensive amphibious capability for Japanese outer islands in the face of Chinese threats.[14]
| Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Homeport | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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_on_fire_at_San_Diego%2c_California_(USA)%2c_on_12_July_2020_(200712-N-MJ716-0498).jpg)
