An
amphibious assault ship (also referred to as a
commando carrier or an
amphibious assault carrier) is a type of
amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an
amphibious assault. The design evolved from the
helicopter carrier, but includes support for
amphibious landing craft, with most designs including a
well deck.
The role of the amphibious assault ship is fundamentally different from a standard aircraft carrier: its aviation facilities have the primary role of hosting helicopters to support forces ashore rather than to support strike aircraft. However, they are capable of serving in the
sea-control role, embarking aircraft like
Harrier fighters and
ASW helicopters. Most of these ships can also carry or support landing craft, such as
air-cushioned landing craft or
LCUs.
The largest fleet of these types is operated by the
United States Navy, including the
Tarawa class dating back to the 1970s and the larger
Wasp class ships that debuted in 1989. Amphibious assault ships are also operated by the British
Royal Navy, the
French Navy, the
Italian Navy, the
Republic of Korea Navy, and the
Spanish Navy.
Although the term
amphibious assault ship is often used interchangably with the more-general term
amphibious warfare ship, it specifically applies only to the large-deck amphibious ships within the US Navy, the
LPH,
LHA, and
LHD types. This does not include the
amphibious transport dock (LPD), and
dock landing ship (LSD).
History
World War II
In the
Pacific theater of World War II, the
escort carriers would often escort the landing ships and troop carriers during the island-hopping campaign. In this role, they would provide air cover for the troopships as well as fly the first wave of attacks on the beach fortifications in amphibious landing operations. On occasion they would even escort the large carriers, serving as emergency airstrips and providing fighter cover for their larger sisters while these were busy readying or refueling their own planes. In addition to this, they would also transport aircraft and spare parts from the US to the remote island airstrips.
Post-World War II
Despite all the progress that was seen during World War II, there were still fundamental limitations in the types of coastline that were suitable for assault. Beaches had to be relatively free of obstacles, and have the right tidal conditions and the correct slope. However, the development of the helicopter fundamentally changed the equation. The first use of helicopters in an amphibious assault came during the invasion of Egypt during the
Suez War in 1956. In this engagement two British light fleet carriers, and , were converted to perform a battalion-size airborne assault with helicopters.
a conversion of a light aircraft carrier.
The techniques were developed further by American forces during the Vietnam War and refined during training exercises. The modern amphibious assault can take place at virtually any point of the coast, making defending against them extremely difficult.
Most early amphibious assault ships were converted from small aircraft carriers. As well as the two
Colossus class light aircraft carriers converted for use in the Suez War, the British Royal Navy converted the
Centaur class carriers and into "
commando carriers" during the 1950s. Sister ship was also converted to a commando carrier in the early 1970s, but was restored to aircraft carrier operations before the end of the 1970s. The United States Navy used three
Essex class aircraft carriers; US Ships , , and , and the
Casablanca class escort carrier as the basis of their amphibious assault fleet, before constructing the five
Iwo Jima class ships specifically for the
Landing Platform Helicopter role.
Later amphibious assault craft were constructed for the role. The United States Navy constructed the
Tarawa class of five
Landing Helicopter Assault ships, which began to enter service from the late 1970s, and the
Wasp class of eight
Landing Helicopter Dock ships, the first of which was commissioned in 1989. The United States Navy is also designing a new class of assault ships: the first
America class ship is predicted to enter service in 2013.
The first British ship to be constructed specifically for the amphibious assault role was , which was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1998. Other nations have built amphibious assault ships; the French
Mistral class, South Korea's
ROKS Dokdo, and Spain's
Juan Carlos I (L61) are all currently active, while Australia is planning to build two
Canberra class ships based on the Spanish design.
Design
The off the coast of South Vietnam in 1965
Due to their aircraft carrier heritage, all amphibious assault ships resemble aircraft carriers in design. The flight deck is used to operate helicopters for landing troops and supplies and
Harrier Jump Jets to provide air support to landing operations. STOL aircraft such as the
OV-10 were sometimes deployed on and were able to perform short takeoffs and landings on large deck amphibious assault ships without needing catapults or arresting wires, although for safety and clearance reasons the latter was most often not permitted.
Landing craft are also carried, either on deck-mounted
davits, or in an internal
well deck.
List of types
Navies currently operating
Bâtiment de Projection et de Commandement (BPC) Mistral of the French Navy after launching
ROKS Dokdo of the Republic of Korea Navy
of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Harbour
of the United States Navy conducting training operations in the Atlantic Ocean
See also
