Large Amphibious Assault Vessels

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
This thread is all about large Amphibious Assault vessels around the world. Their details, pictures, capabilities, and news regarding them.


america-01.jpg

US America Class LHA

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US Wasp Class LHD

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US Tarawa Class LHA

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UK Ocean Class LPH

dokdo4.jpg

SKOR Dokdo Class LPH​

In addition to the unprecedented development of aircraft carriers of all sorts around the globe...and this is happening in more countries than ever before with the US, the UK, France, Russia, Brazil, India, Japan, Spain, Italy, and Thailand all having active, commisioned aircraft carriers, and with China openly indicating their plans to do so in the near future...there is a less reported development of large Amphibious Assault vessels also being designed, developed and launched that is equally wide spread and equally important to the overall naval balance.

By large Amphibious Assault vessels, this thread is speaking of large ships, with large aircraft decks, that support hundreds of troops being able to be either air assaulted, amphibious assaulted, or both onto shore from out at sea.

For the purposes of this thread, this will be limited to the following types/classes of vessels:

LHD - Landing Helicopter Dock
LHA - Landing Helicopter Assault
LPH - Landing Platform Helicopter
LPD - Landing Platform Dock
LSD - Landing Ship Dock
LCC - Landing Command and Control


mistral2.jpg

FRA Mistral Class LHD

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PRC Yuzhao Class LPD

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JPN Osumi Class LPD

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NETH Rotterdam Class LPD

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N ZEA Canterbury Class LPD

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US San Antonio and Austin Class LPDs

In that regard, the following classes are currently operated by the following navies around the world to date...with more being developed as we speak:

LHD - Landing Helicopter Dock
USA - Wasp Class
FRA - Mistral Class

LHA - Landing Helicopter Assault
USA - Tarawa, America Classes

LPH - Landing Platform Helicopter
GBR - Ocean Class
FRA - Jeanne D'Arc Class
KOR - Dokdo Class

LCC - Landing Command and Control
USA - Blue Ridge Class

LPD - Landing Platform Dock
USA - San Antonio, Austin Classes
GBR - Albion Class
SPA - Galicia Class
NED - Rotterdam Class
CHN - Yuzhao (Type 71) Class
FRA - Foudre Class
NZL - Cantebury Class
IND - Jalashva Class
ITA - San Giorgio Class
JPN - Osumi Class
SIN - Endurance Class

LSD - Landing Ship Dock
USA - Harpers Ferry, Whidbey Island Classes
GBR - Bay Class

As a point of interest and reference, the following classes : LHA, LHD, LPD, and LHA are comprehensively documented by their specifications, history, and extensiveily with pictures of each at the following web site:

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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Here's some news for the Large Amphibious Assault Vessel thread.

It was not well noted, and is now over a year old, but for those interested, the 1st steel cut for the new USS America, LHA(R)-6, was completed in February 2008.

[url=http://www.lha6ussamerica.org/page4/page4.html said:
Work begins on LHA(R) 6[/url]]On February 4, 2008, Newport News cut it's first piece of steel, symbolizing the start of construction of the LHA(R) 6 with the sector's Gulf Coast shipyards...

The USS America, is the first in class of the LHA replacement program meant to replace the older Tarawa Class LHAs in the US Navy inventory. This vessel will be optimized for air assault and sea control. She is expected to be launched in late 2010 and commissioned in 2013.

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bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Excellent photos Jeff. I'm of course interested in almost anything Naval in nature. So Amphibs fit the bill.:D

What I really want to learn about is the new USN America class LHA. Right now I know very little. But this is true the ship will be essentially a "Pocket aircraft carrier'. She shall be capable of carrying 22 F-35Bs with accompanying Ospreys and or helos for SAR or possibly AEW in the future.
 
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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Excellent photos Jeff. I'm of course interested in almost anything Naval in nature. So Amphibs fit the bill.:D

What I really want to learn about is the new USN America class LHA. Right now I know very little. But this is true the ship will be essentially a "Pocket aircraft carrier'. She shall be capable of carrying 22 F-35Bs with accompanying Ospreys and or helos for SAR or possibly AEW in the future.
She is going to be a GREAT vessel.

Optimized for air operations, and ACE operations in partiulcar.

Check out my:

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Problem is that the funding for follow on vessels is not as sure, and they are considering MSC options for sea basing which would end up, in essence, making her a single vessel in class with the follow ons being something entirely different.

I, for one, hope that does not happen. We need to replace the Tarawa class as they go out of service with something of equal or better capability...not less. But that is my own opinion.
 

Pointblank

Senior Member
Excellent photos Jeff. I'm of course interested in almost anything Naval in nature. So Amphibs fit the bill.:D

What I really want to learn about is the new USN America class LHA. Right now I know very little. But this is true the ship will be essentially a "Pocket aircraft carrier'. She shall be capable of carrying 22 F-35Bs with accompanying Ospreys and or helos for SAR or possibly AEW in the future.

The America-class LHA's sound very much like the USN's Sea Control Ship concept during the 1970's. Right now, with the technology today, we can produce STOVL fighters that are extremely competitive to normal carrier based fighters or even land based fighters. An excellent way to beef up the a CVBG's air complement and provide more force options for when a full super carrier is excessive.
 

Scratch

Captain
Hey Jeff, again nice and comprehensive site you put together there.
One question I had for some time now is: what seperates the LHA from the LHD, and what those two from the LPH?
What makes the Wasp so much different from the Tarawa to justify a different classification?
I can see the difference between Wasp and America, the well deck, so the distiction makes sense now. Was the new label LHD just for the optic, or is there a technical point I have missed ever since?

There were also some time ago discussions I think about the propulsion. Is it likely that in the mid term future those ships might also be nuclear powered? Apperently maintaining a nuclear reactor on a warship is an expensive undertaking. It would have to be really efficient I guess to offset the extra costs, depending on how oil based gas will develop. But then again, if you want to protect those flag ships with laser CIWS ...
Was there ever something mentioned about UAVs? MQ-8 ...

I'm also wondering if that sea basing thing would cut so severely into the America class. I imagine that a platform for sea basing would be so different that there's place for both beside each other. But then again who knows what people will spin up. Anyway, more then one would be nice
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Hey Jeff, again nice and comprehensive site you put together there.
Thanks...I hope it helps educate people and also fill the interests of thoise, like myself, who have great interest and love for naval matters such as these.

One question I had for some time now is: what seperates the LHA from the LHD, and what those two from the LPH?
What makes the Wasp so much different from the Tarawa to justify a different classification? I can see the difference between Wasp and America, the well deck, so the distiction makes sense now. Was the new label LHD just for the optic, or is there a technical point I have missed ever since?
The LHA term came first with the Tararwa Class and emphasised the large assault helicopter carrying capability of the Tarawa class. When the Wasp Class came out, one of tha main enhancements was to the well deck, which, with the Wasp, enabled three LCACs versus one for the Tarawa class at the time. The US Navy wanted to emphasize, in the designation, this enhanced well-deck capability of the vessels, thus the LHD designation.

Now, with the America, which has no well deck, we are back to the helicopter emphasis, which without the well-deck, is probably more appropriate. However, with the emphasis on the VTOL V-22 and F-35B, that designation could also stand some modification, Perhaps LVA or something.

There were also some time ago discussions I think about the propulsion. Is it likely that in the mid term future those ships might also be nuclear powered? Apperently maintaining a nuclear reactor on a warship is an expensive undertaking. It would have to be really efficient I guess to offset the extra costs, depending on how oil based gas will develop.
Well, the Makin Island, LHD-8 and the America LHA-6, both just went to gas turbines and I believe that will be the extent of the propulsion change for these vessels in the near future. No talk right now of any pending or planned Nuclear propulsion for any gater vessel.

I'm also wondering if that sea basing thing would cut so severely into the America class. I imagine that a platform for sea basing would be so different that there's place for both beside each other. But then again who knows what people will spin up. Anyway, more then one would be nice
There is much talk about this, and quite frankly, it has the future of the America class up in the air right now somewhat. There is talk about the follow on vessels being MSC (which would mean a large part of the crew would be civilian) and having them focused on sea-basing and military sea-lift from that perspective. I believe that type of thing could be done, but seperately and not at the cost of the America class replacing the Tarawa class. The US will need those ARG center pieces until the replacement for the Wasp class comes along.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Gents there are three things I'd like to see out of the America class LHA.

1) All USN active duty crews.
2) All planned five ships built.
3) All ships given traditional/Historical names. Such as Coral Sea, Belleau Wood, Valley Forge.
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
The America-class LHA's sound very much like the USN's Sea Control Ship concept during the 1970's. Right now, with the technology today, we can produce STOVL fighters that are extremely competitive to normal carrier based fighters or even land based fighters. An excellent way to beef up the a CVBG's air complement and provide more force options for when a full super carrier is excessive.
It is very close to the US Navy Sea Control concept...only, IMHO, better (and, more expensive). This vessel will have far more multi-function capability, being equally well suited for the air assault role with large numbers of helos and MV-22 Osprey, or other ACE configurations, in addition to the Sea Control role with up to 22 JSFs.

If a ASW and AEW variants of the Osprey are ever developed and put into service, then these types of carriers, from the America to the Italian and Spanish vessels, to all other VTOL vessels, would become significantly more powerful and could then be considered true medium sized (and capable) aircraft carriers.
 

Finn McCool

Captain
Registered Member
These ships are certainly cost effective means of providing carrier capability, for less money, and oftentimes in a more appropriate manner for today's low intensity conflicts.

But I have to wonder, will these ships ever be used for what they were truly designed for? Will we ever see a large scale amphibious operation onto hostile territory ever again? The closest only time it's happened in the last several decades was the Falklands, and I suppose the AU assault on that island in the Comoros. Although that doesn't really count :nana:.
 
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