Whidbey Island LSD

Whidbey Island LSD (Landing Ship, Dock) – 8 units

LSD-41 – Whidbey Island – Commissioned: 1985 – №: 1 – Homeport: Little Creek

LSD-42 – Germantown – Commissioned: 1986 – №: 2 – Homeport: Sasebo

LSD-43 – Fort McHenry – Commissioned: 1987 – №: 3 – Homeport: Little Creek

LSD-44 – Gunston Hall – Commissioned: 1989 – №: 4 – Homeport: Little Creek

LSD-45 – Comstock – Commissioned: 1990 – №: 5 – Homeport: San Diego

LSD-46 – Tortuga – Commissioned: 1990 – №: 6 – Homeport: Sasebo

LSD-47 – Rushmore – Commissioned: 1991 – №: 7 – Homeport: San Diego

LSD-48 – Ashland – Commissioned: 1992 – №: 8 – Homeport: Little Creek

Displacement: 16,100 tons

Length: 186 m

Beam: 26 m

Draft: 5 m

Propulsion: 4 Colt Industries, 16-cylinder diesel engines, 2 shafts, 33,000 shp (25 MW)

Speed: 20+ knots (37+ km/h)

Boats & landing craft carried:

4+1 LCACs or 21 LCM-6s or up to 36 Amphibious Assault Vehicles AAV or 3 LCUs

Capacity: on deck 1 LCM-6, 2 LCPL and 1 LCVP

Complement: 30 officers, 300+ enlisted

Marine detachment: up to 504

Armament:

2× 25 mm Mark 38 cannons

2× 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts

1/2× Rolling Airframe Missile

6× Browning .50 caliber M2HB machine guns

Aviation facilities: Large helicopter platform aft, no hangar

Cost: $250 million

The USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41) and USS Tortuga (LSD-46) are to be decommissioned during the FYDP 2013-2018 and the remaining ships of the class are to be retired before the end of their service lives

LPD Flight II

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has revised its plan to use the hull form of the San Antonio-class amphibious warship as a candidate for the Navy’s next generation amphibious warship – LX(R).

HII’s new Flight IIA modifies the original LPD-17 design by removing some of the higher end capabilities of the San Antonio and creating a so-called amphibious truck to replace the existing class of aging Whidbey Island and Harpers Ferry 16,000-ton landing ship docks (LSD).