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LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS
Freedom Class
DISPLACEMENT: .........approx. 3,000 metric tons full load
LENGTH:......................378 feet
BEAM: .......................... 57. 4 feet
SPEED:......................... 40+ knots
POWER PLANT: ........... 2 gas turbines, 2 diesel engines
AIRCRAFT:................... 1 MH-60R/S helicopter, 1 MQ- 8 VTUAV with
a mission package installed
ARMAMENT: ................ 1 Mk110 57mm gun, 1 RAM launcher
COMPLEMENT:............ 40 core crew; berthing for 75
BUILDERS:...................Lockheed Martin industry team, Fincantieri
Marinette Marine Corp.
Homeport
LCS 1 Freedom ...........................................................San Diego, Calif.
LCS 3 Fort Worth.........................................................San Diego, Calif.
LCS 5 Milwaukee .........................................................San Diego, Calif.
LCS 7 Detroit ...................(under construction) future: San Diego, Calif.
LCS 9 Little Rock..................(under construction) future: Mayport, Fla.
LCS 11 Sioux City.................(under construction) future: Mayport, Fla.
LCS 13 Wichita......................(under construction) future: Mayport, Fla.
LCS 15 Billings......................(under construction) future: Mayport, Fla.
LCS 17 Indianapolis...............(under construction) future: Mayport, Fla.
LCS 19 St. Louis...................(under construction) future: Mayport, Fla.
LCS 21 Minneapolis/St. Paul..(under construction) future: Mayport, Fla.
LCS 23 Cooperstown............(under construction) future: Mayport, Fla.
Independence Class
DISPLACEMENT: .........approx. 3,000 metric tons full load
LENGTH:......................419 feet
BEAM: .......................... 103. 7 feet
SPEED:......................... 40+ knots
POWER PLANT: ........... 2 gas turbines, 2 diesel engines
AIRCRAFT:................... 1 MH-60R/S helicopter, 1 MQ- 8 VTUAV with
a mission package installed
ARMAMENT: ................ 1 Mk110 57mm gun, 1 SeaRAM launcher
COMPLEMENT:............ 40 core crew; berthing for 75
BUILDERS:...................General Dynamics Bath Iron Works team,
Austal USA
Homeport
LCS 2 Independence ...................................................San Diego, Calif.
LCS 4 Coronado..........................................................San Diego, Calif.
LCS 6 Jackson ............................................................San Diego, Calif.
LCS 8 Montgomery ................................................(under construction)
LCS 10 Gabrielle Giffords ......................................(under construction)
LCS 12 Omaha ......................................................(under construction)
LCS 14 Manchester ...............................................(under construction)
LCS 16 Tulsa .........................................................(under construction)
LCS 18 Charleston.................................................(under construction)
LCS 20 Cincinnati ..................................................(under construction)
LCS 22 Kansas City...............................................(under construction)
LCS 24 Oakland.....................................................(under construction)
AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIPS
AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIPS
(LHA, LHD)
BRIEFING: The Wasp-class LHDs and America-class LHA provide
the Marine Corps with a means of ship-to-shore movement by helicopter in addition to movement by landing craft. The ships have
extensive storage capacity and can accommodate the Landing Craft
Utility (LCU) and Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), and have
proven very useful in major humanitarian-assistance, occupation
and combat operations. They served as launching platforms for
Marine Corps expeditionary forces to Afghanistan in Operation
Enduring Freedom in 2001-2002 and Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. During the latter operation, two LHDs served as
“Harrier carriers,” each operating an air group of AV-8B attack aircraft against targets inside Iraq. Kearsarge launched strikes against
Libyan government forces in 2011 in Operation Odyssey
Dawn/Uphold Protector. Other LHAs/LHDs have launched strikes
in Iraq and Syria in 2014 and 2015 against the Islamic State.
Wasp has been used as a test platform for the short-takeoff,
vertical-landing F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter variant.
An eighth LHD, Makin Island, was commissioned on Oct. 24,
2009. In a switch from earlier steam-powered LHAs and LHDs,
it is powered by gas turbine engines. Makin Island deployed for
the first time in November 2011.
America, the first ship of the LHA Replacement Program, is an
aviation-centric variant of the LHD 8. Along with Tripoli, the ships
will be the only big-deck amphibious ships without a well deck.
Key differences between America and Makin Island include an
enlarged hangar deck, enhanced maintenance facilities, additional
aviation storerooms and an electronically reconfigurable C4ISR
suite. America was commissioned on Oct. 11, 2014.
In May 2012, the Navy awarded a $2.4 billion contract for
the second of the class, Tripoli, for delivery in 2018.
Bonhomme Richard relieved Essex in March 2012 as the forward-deployed assault ship at Sasebo, Japan. Nassau was decommissioned in 2011, but is being retained in reserve status. The last
Tarawa-class LHA, Peleliu, was decommissioned on March 31,
2015, and placed in a reserve status.
Iwo Jima shifted homeport from Norfolk, Va., to Mayport,
Fla., in August 2014.
A new ship, LHA 8, will return to the classic well-deck configuration. The Navy is to select a builder for the ship in 2016.
FORT WORTH FREEDOM CLASS
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INDEPENDENCE INDEPENDENCE CLASS
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