Summary
The Harpers Ferry class of the United States Navy is a class of dock landing ships completed in the early 1990s. Modified from the Whidbey Island class, the design sacrifices landing craft capacity for more cargo space, making it closer to an amphibious transport dock type, but was not designated as such. Externally, the two classes can be distinguished by the positions of weapons: The Harpers Ferry class has the Phalanx CIWS mounted forward, and the RAM launcher on top of the bridge, while the Whidbey Island has the opposite arrangement.
 USS Carter Hall
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Harpers Ferry class |
| Builders | Avondale Shipyard |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Whidbey Island class |
| Succeeded by | LX(R) class |
| Cost | $324.2 million [1] |
| In commission | 1995–present |
| Planned | 4 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Active | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Dock landing ship |
| Displacement | 15,939 tons |
| Length | 609 ft 7 in (185.8 m) |
| Beam | 84 ft (26 m) |
| Draft | 19 ft 6 in (5.94 m) |
| Propulsion | Four Colt Pielstick, 16-cylinder diesels twin turbo, two shafts, 33,000 shp (25,000 kW) |
| Speed | 24.5 kn (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 LCACs or 1 LCU or four LCM-8 or 9 LCM-6[2] |
| Complement | 24 officers, 397 enlisted sailors, Surge + 504 Marines |
| Armament |
|
As of 2009, all ships of the class are scheduled to undergo a midlife upgrade to ensure they remain in service through 2038. The ships will be upgraded each year through 2013, and the last ship will be modernized in 2014. Ships homeported on the East Coast will undergo upgrades at Metro Machine Corp., and ships based on the West Coast will receive upgrades at General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego.[3]
Major elements of the upgrade package include diesel engine improvements, fuel and maintenance savings systems, engineering control systems, increased air conditioning/chill water capacity, and replacement of air compressors. The ships also replaced steam systems with all-electric functionality that will decrease maintenance.[3]
Harpers Ferry–class ships edit
| Ship Name | Hull No. | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Homeport | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harpers Ferry | LSD-49 | Avondale Shipyard | 15 April 1991 | 16 January 1993 | 7 January 1995 | Proposed 2024[4] | Naval Base San Diego (CA) | Active |
| Carter Hall | LSD-50 | 11 November 1991 | 2 October 1993 | 30 September 1995 | Proposed 2023[4] | Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek (VA) | ||
| Oak Hill | LSD-51 | 21 September 1992 | 11 June 1994 | 8 June 1996 | Proposed 2025[4] | |||
| Pearl Harbor | LSD-52 | 27 January 1995 | 24 February 1996 | 30 May 1998 | Proposed 2024[4] | Naval Base San Diego (CA) |
Sources edit
- ^ "United States Navy fact file: Dock Landing Ship - LSD". Navy News Service. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ "United States Navy fact file: Dock Landing Ship - LSD". Navy News Service. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ a b "USS Gunston Hall Completes Sea Trials". Navy News Service. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Navy Plans to Retire 48 Ships During 2022-2026". seapowermagazine.org. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- US Navy Type Information Archived 2011-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
- Hutchinson, R. (2002) Jane's Warship Recognition Guide Harper Collins: London, New York.