Feature 2 | AMPHIBIOUS VESSELS
with these came the amphibious assault ship, which combined features of the attack transport and the LSD, or to use the modern term dock landing platform (LPD). Tey featured large flight decks, hangers, large stowage spaces and a well deck for up to four landing craſt. Te Iwo Jimas could also exploit another
technological development, the hovercraſt and their successor, the Wasp (LHD 1), was designed specifically to operate them. Developed in the mid-1960s the hovercraſt seemed to offer another solution to storming defended beaches for it can carry a large load at high speed from the sea straight onto land as well as operating in terrain which would impede the movement of wheeled vehicles or even infantry. Both super powers have deployed what
the US Navy describes as the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and while they certainly have advantages they also have the disadvantages of being large, noisy and vulnerable to infantry weapons. Nevertheless the US Navy is upgrading its LCAC fleet to improve performance and maintainability while Russia has produced the Aist (Project 1232.1), Pomornik (Project 1232.2), Lebed (Project 1206) and Gus (Project 1205), and has exported Pomornik and Tsaplya (Project 12061) class craſt to Greece and South Korea respectively.
Pure aviation platform Te Iwo Jima helicopter carrier concept has been adopted by many navies, although curiously the first of the new generation of US Navy ships based on the USS Makin Island (LHD 8), USS America (LHA 6) and her sister ship, revert to the pure aviation platform. Tis particular platform will also be able to operate Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) fixed-wing aircraſt; the well deck has been abandoned to achieve greater storage capacity and a larger hanger. However, the fate of the US Marine Corps STOVL force is in the balance and, if they are scrapped it seems likely that the America class will be either abandoned, or revert to having a well deck. One feature of all the new generation of LHD/LHAs is their sophisticated command and control facilities, those in HMS Ocean being upgraded in 2002 to include the control of mine countermeasures operations. Te former USS Inchon (LPH
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Despite questions about the design the US Navy seems committed to the LPD17 class.
12) was dedicated to this role until she was paid off in 2002. Tis reflects the fact that these types of ships not only have the role of delivering the initial assault but also of controlling the whole amphibious operation. France’s BPC translates as Projection and
Command Ship; the same idea is implied in the official designation of Spain’s recently commissioned SPS Rey Juan Carlos I Buque de Proyeccíon Estratégica (BPE) or Strategic Projection Ship. Tese facilities together with a significant
medical capability and rotary-wing aircraſt give the amphibious assault ship tremendous versatility, as was demonstrated in South East Asia following the tsunami disaster of 2004, and this has led to a potential growing market for them. India is in a similar situation to Russia and is certainly interested in new vessels but is gaining experience with the former Austin class LST INS Jalashwa (formerly USS Trenton LPD 14); the starting gun was fired by Australia’s JP
2048 Phase 4A requirement, calling for two 25,000-27,000 tonne LHDs, the description being fairly typical of modern demands for large amphibious warfare vessels.
Full-length flight deck The Australian requirement was for ships with a full-length flight deck with six landing spots for the simultaneous operation of six medium-size helicopters, a dedicated hangar for at least 12 helicopters, a stern docking well and four organic medium landing craſt with capacity for up to 1000 troops and their equipment including main battle tanks. In addition to supporting an assault
landing these ships are designed to support a bridgehead by bringing bulk loads of follow-on troop reserves/reinforcements, ammunition, food, water, fuel, engineering plant and logistics elements onto the beach or unloading them at ports. Navantia won the competition, possibly because Canberra
A landing craft approaches the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Essex. Warship Technology July/August 2011
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