Amphibious assault ship

From New World Encyclopedia
SHIP LPD-17 San Antonio Cutaway lg.jpg
Six of the U.S. Navy's assault ships in formation; lead ship and first ship to port are Tarawa-class, all others are Wasp-class

Amphibious assault ships, usually shortened to amphibs, phibs or popularly known as gator freighters, denotes a range of classes of warship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. The largest fleet of these types is operated by the United States Navy, including the Tarawa class dating back to the 1970s and the newer and larger Wasp class ships that debuted in 1989.

  • Definition in U.S. Military Dictionary: "A naval ship designed to carry and land assault troops by helicopters, landing craft, or other amphibious vehicles."

History

It is often said that amphibious assaults are the hardest of all military operations to coordinate.[citation needed] They need such fine control and such a large degree of coordination that it is only the top tier powers that have the ability to even attempt them seriously, let alone pull them off. The two nations that have made by far the most amphibious assaults during the past century are the United States and the United Kingdom. From the great assaults of World War II to the recent attack on the Al-Faw Peninsula in Iraq, both countries have been at the forefront of developing amphibious assault doctrine and shipping.[citation needed]

World War I and interwar period

The history of the specialist amphibious assault vessel really begins during World War II. Prior to World War I, amphibious assaults had taken place using conventional boats. The disastrous Gallipoli landings of 1915 (see Battle of Gallipoli) showed that this type of operation was impossible in the face of modern weapons, especially the machine gun. The 1920s and 1930s did not see much progress in most of the world, the exception being the U.S. Marine Corps. The small Corps operations of the period in Central and South America led to the development of amphibious assault doctrine much in advance of the rest of the world. By the late 1930s, concrete plans were beginning to form to build the first true specialized amphibious assault ships.

Specialized shipping can be divided into two types, most crudely described as ships and craft. In general the ships carry the troops from the port of embarkation to the drop point for the assault and the craft carry the troops from the ship to the shore. Amphibious assaults taking place over short distances can also involve the shore-to-shore technique where landing craft go directly from the port of embarkation to the assault point.

LST disembark M4 Sherman tanks and other vehicles, invasion of Noemfoor Island, 1944.

World War II developments

Many of the early types of shipping were converted cargo vessels. However, the Landing Ship Tank (LST) stands out. As the name suggests it is a specialized type for getting tanks or other large vehicles ashore. Unlike the other larger shipping, LSTs could beach and discharge directly onto shore. Beyond the ships carrying the troops, other vessels were needed. It was quickly appreciated that amphibious assaults were such complicated operations that a specialized flagship was needed, with facilities that a normal naval vessel simply could not provide. It was also realized that battleships, cruisers and destroyers could not necessarily provide all the fire support (including suppressive fire) that an assault would need. Therefore specialized shipping was developed that incorporated various direct and indirect fire weapons. These included guns and rockets which could be mounted on landing craft and landing ships. As part of the final barrage before an assault, the landing area would be plastered by these types.

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.

Early Cold War developments

The first use of helicopters in an amphibious assault came during the Anglo-French-Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956 (the Suez War). Two British light fleet carriers were pressed into service to carry helicopters, and a battalion-sized airborne assault was made. One of these Bulwark was commissioned in the late 50s as a dedicated "commando carrier." The techniques were developed further by American forces in 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.

Earlier ships which played a similar role to the current vessels as the heart of an amphibious assault included five Iwo Jima class Landing Platform Helicopter vessels, built in the 1950s and 1960s and various converted fleet and escort carriers. The first of the type envisaged was the escort aircraft carrier USS Block Island (CVE-106/LPH-1), which never actually saw service as an amphibious assault ship. Delays in the construction of the Iwo Jima class saw other conversions made as a stopgap measure; three Essex-class aircraft carriers (USS Boxer (CV-21/LPH-4), USS Princeton (CV-37/LPH-5), and USS Valley Forge (CV-45/LPH-8)) and one Casablanca-class escort carrier (USS Thetis Bay (CVE-90/CVHA-1/LPH-6)) were converted into amphibs, the Boxer and Thetis Bay classes.

The Tarawa and Wasp types and their Iwo Jima class forebears resemble aircraft carriers. However, the role of an amphibious assault ship is fundamentally different to that of an aircraft carrier. Its aviation facilities are not to support strike or air defense aircraft, but for hosting helicopters to support forces ashore.

Future developments

One of the most recent innovations is the LCAC or Landing Craft Air Cushioned. These large hovercraft further expand the range of conditions under which an amphibious assault can take place and increase the speed of transfer of assets from ship to shore. Ground effect planes such as the Ekranoplan, straddling the line between aircraft and ship, have also been proposed for the role in the past.

Amphibious assault submarines, while proposed during the 1950s, and almost brought to actual construction by the Soviet Union in the 1960s, are currently not being designed. However, if the predictions of military experts such as John Keegan or others[1] hold true, and surface shipping becomes extremely dangerous during future wars of evenly matched powers (due to satellite recon and anti-ship missiles), then transport- and amphibious assault submarines might deserve another look.

Smaller ships

Beyond the largest vessels in the fleet, a variety of other specialized types support amphibious assaults. These include the landing platform dock (LPD), landing ship dock (LSD) and command ships (LCC and AGF). Navies other than the USN operate still further types including landing ship tank (LST), landing ship logistics (LSL) and landing ship medium (LSM).

List of amphibious assault ship types

  • LHA: Landing Helicopter Assault (USS Tarawa class)
  • LHD: Landing Helicopter Dock (USS Wasp class)
  • LPH: Landing Platform Helicopter
  • LPD: Landing Platform Dock
  • LSD: Landing Ship Dock
  • LSI: Landing Ship Infantry
  • LSL: Landing Ship Logistics
  • LSM: Landing Ship Medium
  • LST: Landing Ship Tank
  • LCC: Landing Craft Command
  • LCM: Landing Craft Mechanized
  • LCT: Landing Craft Tank
  • LCU: Landing Craft Utility
  • LCVP: Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel
  • LCA: Landing Craft Assault
  • AGF: Auxiliary Command Ship
  • AKA/LKA: Attack cargo ship
  • AP/APA: Auxiliary Personel Assault
  • ARL: Landing Craft Repair Ship (USS Achelous) class

Navies currently operating amphibious assault ships

Bâtiment de Projection et de Commandement (BPC) Mistral, French Navy
LPD HMS Bulwark, Royal Navy

Australia

Royal Australian Navy

  • Tobruk (1981)
  • Kanimbla (1994)
  • Manoora (1994)

These three vessels are to be replaced with two Template:Sclasss, with hulls to be built in Spain, and superstructure to be built in Melbourne.

Brazil

Brazilian Navy

  • G-28 Matoso Maia
  • G-30 Ceará
  • G-31 Rio de Janeiro

China

People's Liberation Army Navy Under sea trial: Amphibious Transport Dock (LPD)

  • Type 071 Yuzhao class (2007)

France

Marine Nationale

  • Mistral LHD (2 in service) (18 December 2006) and (1 August 2007)
  • L9011 Foudre LPD (7 December 1990)
  • L9012 Siroco LPD (21 December 1998)

Japan

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

  • Osumi class LST (3 in service)
  • Yura class LSU/LCU (2 in service)
  • Yusotei class LCU (2 in service)
  • YF 2150 class LCM (2 in service)
  • Landing craft air cushion (6 in service)

Korea, South

Republic of Korea Navy

  • ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111) (Launched in 2005, Commissioned in July 3, 2007)
  • Gojunbong class LST (4 in service)

India

Indian Navy

  • Magar class (two in service)
    • INS Magar L20 (15 July 1987)
    • INS Gharial L23 (14 February 1997)
  • MK.3 Landing craft (six in service)
    • L34 - LCU Mk.2 (28 January 1980)
    • L35 - LCU Mk.2 (17 December 1983)
    • L36 - LCU Mk.3 (18 July 1986)
    • L37 - LCU Mk.3 (18 October 1986?)
    • L38 - LCU Mk.3 (10 December 1986)
    • L39 - LCU Mk.3 (25 March 1987)
  • Polnochny class (five in service)
    • INS Sharabh L17 (27 January 1976; Gdynia, Poland)
    • INS Cheetah L18 (February 1985; Gdynia, Poland)
    • INS Mahish L19 (4 June 1985; Gdynia, Poland)
    • INS Guldar L21 (December 1985; Gdynia, Poland)
    • INS Kumbhir L22 (November 1986; Gdynia, Poland)
  • Nicobar class Transport Ships (two in service)
    • INS Nicobar (April 1998)
    • INS Andamans (April 2000)

Italy

Marina Militare

  • San Giorgio class
    • San Giorgio (1987)
    • San Marco (1987)
    • San Giusto (1993)

Indonesia

Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL)

  • Tanjung Dalpele class LPD
  • Makassar class LPD

Malaysia

Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia

  • Sri Inderapura (1990)

Netherlands

Koninklijke Marine

  • Johan de Witt (2006)
  • Rotterdam (1997)

Singapore

Republic of Singapore Navy

  • Endurance (2000)
  • Resolution (2000)
  • Persistence (2001)
  • Endeavour (2001)

Spain

Spanish Navy

  • Pizarro (1994)
  • Hernán Cortés (1995)
  • Galicia (1998)
  • Castilla (2000)
  • Juan Carlos I (2008)

United Kingdom

Royal Navy

  • Ocean LPH (1995)
  • Albion class LPD
    • Albion (2001)
    • Bulwark (2001)

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

United States

United States Navy

  • Wasp-class - LHD
    • USS Bataan
    • USS Bonhomme Richard
    • USS Boxer
    • USS Essex
    • USS Kearsarge
    • USS Iwo Jima
    • USS Makin Island
    • USS Wasp
  • Tarawa-class - LHA
    • USS Nassau
    • USS Peleliu
    • USS Tarawa
  • San Antonio-class - LPD
    • USS San Antonio
  • Austin-class - LPD
    • USS Austin
    • USS Cleveland
    • USS Denver
    • USS Duluth
    • USS Juneau
    • USS Nashville
    • USS Ogden
    • USS Ponce
    • USS Shreveport
    • USS Trenton
  • Harpers Ferry-class - LSD
    • USS Carter Hall
    • USS Harpers Ferry
    • USS Oak Hill
    • USS Pearl Harbor
  • Whidbey Island-class - LSD
    • USS Ashland
    • USS Comstock
    • USS Fort McHenry
    • USS Germantown
    • USS Gunston Hall
    • USS Rushmore
    • USS Tortuga
    • USS Whidbey Island

Notes

  1. Submarine aircraft carriers - combatreform2.com. Retrieved October 2, 2007.

External links

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