Amphibious Transport Dock - LPD |
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Description
Amphibious transport dock ships are warships that embark, transport, and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions. |
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Features
LPDs are used to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies by embarked air cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing craft and Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles (EFV) or Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV) augmented by helicopters or vertical take off and landing aircraft (MV 22). These ships support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions and can serve as secondary aviation platforms for amphibious ready groups. |
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Background
The versatile Austin-class LPDs provide substantial amphibious lift for Marines and their vehicles and cargo. Additionally, they serve as the secondary aviation platform for Amphibous Ready Groups. The oldest of the class turned 43 this year. As the new San Antonio-class LPDs enter service, Austin-class LPDs will be decommissioned.
The ships of the LPD 17 class are a key element of the Navy’s seabase transformation. Collectively, these ships functionally replace over 41 ships (LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113, and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships) providing the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, seabased platforms that are networked, survivable, and built to operate with 21st century transformational platforms, such as the MV-22 Osprey, the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), and future means by which Marines are delivered ashore.
A contract for final design and construction of San Antonio (LPD 17), the lead ship in the class, was awarded in December 1996; actual construction commenced in August 2000. USS San Antonio was delivered to the Navy in July 2005. LPDs 18-21 have also been delivered to the Navy.
New York is the first of three LPD 17-class ships built in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The ship’s bow stem was constructed using 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center. The Navy named the 8th and 9th ships of the class -- Arlington and Somerset -- in honor of the victims of the attacks on the Pentagon and United Flight 93, respectively. Arlington and Somerset are also incorporating materials salvaged from those sites.
LPDs 22-26 are currently under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) on the Gulf Coast, and will deliver over the next few years. The Navy awarded a long lead time material contract to HII for LPD 27 in 2010.
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Point Of Contact
Corporate Communications Office
Naval Sea Systems Command (SEA 00D)
Washington, D.C. 20376 |
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General Characteristics, San Antonio class
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| Builder: Huntington Ingalls Industries (formerly Northrop Grumman Ships Systems), with Raytheon Systems Corporation and Intergraph Corporation. |
| Propulsion: Four sequentially turbocharged marine Colt-Pielstick Diesels, two shafts, 41,600 shaft horsepower. |
| Length: 684 feet (208.5 meters). |
| Beam: 105 feet (31.9 meters). |
| Displacement: Approximately 25,586 long tons (full load). |
| Speed: In excess of 22 knots |
Crew: Ship's Company: 360 Sailors (28 officers, 332 enlisted) and 3 Marines.
Embarked Landing Force: 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge capacity to 800. |
| Armament: Two MK 46 Mod 2 guns, fore and aft; two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers, fore and aft: nine .50 calibre machine guns. |
| Aircraft: Launch or land two CH53E Super Stallion helicopters or two MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft or up to four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters, AH-1 or UH-1 helicopters. |
| Landing/Attack Craft: Two LCACs or one LCU; and 14 Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles/Amphibious Assault Vehicles. |
| Ships: |
| USS San Antonio (LPD 17), Norfolk, VA |
| USS New Orleans (LPD 18), San Diego, CA |
| USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), Norfolk, VA |
| USS Green Bay (LPD 20), San Diego, CA |
| USS New York (LPD 21), Norfok, VA |
| San Diego (LPD 22) - Christened June 12, 2010. |
| Anchorage (LPD 23), under construction - Christened May 14, 2011 |
| Arlington (LPD 24), under construction - Christened March 26, 2011 |
| Somerset (LPD 25), under construction |
| John P. Murtha (LPD 26) - under construction |
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General Characteristics, Austin class
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Builder: LPD 4-6, New York Naval Shipyard
LPD 7 and LPD 8, Ingalls Shipbuilding
LPD 9, 10, 12-15, Lockheed Shipbuilding.
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| Date Deployed: Feb. 6, 1965 (USS Austin) |
| Unit Cost: $235-419 million. |
| Propulsion: Two boilers, two steam turbines, two shafts, 24,000 shaft horsepower. |
| Length: 570 feet (171 meters). |
| Beam: 84 feet (25.2 meters). |
| Displacement: Approximately 17,000 tons (17,272.82 metric tons) full load. |
| Speed: 21 knots (24.2 mph, 38.7 kph). |
| Crew: Ship's Company: 420 (24 officers, 396 enlisted), Marine Detachment: 900. |
| Armament: Two 25mm Mk 38 guns; two Phalanx CIWS; and eight .50-calibre machine guns. |
| Aircraft: Up to six CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters. |
| Ships: |
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| USS Ogden (LPD 5), San Diego, CA |
| USS Cleveland (LPD 7), San Diego, CA |
| USS Denver (LPD 9), Sasebo, Japan |
| USS Juneau (LPD 10), San Diego, CA |
| USS Nashville (LPD 13), No homeport - decommissioned - Decommissioned Sept. 30, 2009 |
| USS Ponce (LPD 15), Norfolk, VA |
| USS Dubuque (LPD 8), San Diego, CA |
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| Last Update: 10 November 2011 |
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