Tarawa class

Tarawa class

1976

1976

Specifications

Aircraft

Shipyards

List of Ships

Events

Iwo Jima class
Assault Carrier
ships

The Tarawa class established the basis for all future assault carriers. They combine in a single hull the capabilities of previous LPH (helicopter carrier), LPD (well decks), LKA (cargo ships) and LCC (command and control ships) classes. They have distinctive bow sponsons, originally for 5in (127 mm) Mk 45 lightweight guns, subsequently removed in order to gain a squared-off forward flight deck.

Specifications	Login to Edit


900	crew
1900	troops
39400	full load (tn)
250	length (m)
32	beam (m)
7.90	draught (m)
24	max speed (knots)
70000	power (shp)



2	Naval Engine boilers
2	Naval Engine steam turbines



2	Missile Launcher Mk 49 21-cell RAM



4	Naval Gun Mark 38 25 mm
2	Close-In Weapon System CIWS Phalanx 20 mm
1	Chaff and decoys Mark 36 SRBOC



1	Aids TACAN URN-20
1	Naval Radar air search radar AN/SPS-52

Aircraft	Login to Edit

The Max option implies only aircraft of this model onboard

Shipyards	Login to Edit


Ingalls Shipbuilding -	5

List of Ships	Login to Edit

Sorted by Year

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US Navy	LHA-1	USS Tarawa	NLHA - 1	1976	2009
US Navy	LHA-2	USS Saipan	NHOV - 2	1977	2007
US Navy	LHA-3	USS Belleau Wood	NBWD - 3	1978	2005
US Navy	LHA-4	USS Nassau	NJPX - 4	1979	2011
US Navy	LHA-5	USS Peleliu	NPEL - 5	1980	2015
US Navy	LHD-1	Wasp class USS Wasp	NEBP - 1	1989	--
US Navy	LHD-2	Wasp class USS Essex	NESX - 2	1992	--
US Navy	LHD-3	Wasp class USS Kearsarge	NNKP - 3	1993	--
US Navy	LHD-4	Wasp class USS Boxer	NBXR - 4	1995	--
US Navy	LHD-5	Wasp class USS Bataan	NBAT - 5	1997	--
US Navy	LHD-6	Wasp class USS Bonhomme Richard	NBHR - 6	1998	2020
US Navy	LHD-7	Wasp class USS Iwo Jima	NXXG - 7	2001	--
US Navy	LHD-8	Wasp class USS Makin Island	NMXG - 8	2009	--
US Navy	LHA-6	America (2014) class USS America	NUSA - 6	2014	--
US Navy	LHA-7	America (2014) class USS Tripoli	NTRP - 7	2020	--

15 units

Events	Login to Edit


1969-may-1	Ordered	LHA-1 USS Tarawa
1969-nov-15	Ordered	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood
1970-nov-6	Ordered	LHA-5 USS Peleliu
1971-nov-15	Laid down	LHA-1 USS Tarawa
1972-jul-21	Laid down	LHA-2 USS Saipan
1973-mar-5	Laid down	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood
1973-aug-13	Laid down	LHA-4 USS Nassau
1973-dec-1	Launched	LHA-1 USS Tarawa
1974-jul-20	Launched	LHA-2 USS Saipan
1976-may-29	Commissioned	LHA-1 USS Tarawa
1976-nov-12	Laid down	LHA-5 USS Peleliu
1977-apr-11	Launched	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood
1977-oct-15	Commissioned	LHA-2 USS Saipan
1978-jan-21	Launched	LHA-4 USS Nassau
1978-sep-23	Commissioned	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood
1978-nov-25	Launched	LHA-5 USS Peleliu
1979-jul-28	Commissioned	LHA-4 USS Nassau
1980-may-3	Commissioned	LHA-5 USS Peleliu
1981-mar-3	Aircraft	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood accident CH-46D 153961
1982-oct-1	Port Visit	LHA-4 USS Nassau visited Portsmouth 1-6 Oct 1982 with Ships Flt UH-1N 160838 embarked.
1984		LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood organic helicopter was HH-1N 160834
1985	Deployment	LHA-1 USS Tarawa Pacific deployment for 6 months, including testing Mastiff UAV procedures in support of amphibious operations, until early 1986
1986-aug-29	Aircraft	LHA-2 USS Saipan CH-46 157689 accident
1988	Aircraft	LHA-2 USS Saipan SAR bird was UH-1N 158256 at least until 1992
1989-sep-10	Aircraft	LHA-5 USS Peleliu UH-1N 160828 accident
1992-mar-31	Port Visit	LHA-4 USS Nassau Embarked several Harriers and a UH-1 160448
1997-mar	Deployment	LHA-4 USS Nassau Operation Helvin ordered off Albanian coast (under Operation Silver Wake) to evacuate US personnel and civilians from its embassy in Tirana.
1998-jul-9	Port Visit	LHA-1 USS Tarawa Embarked 6 AV8 of VMA-211 UH-1 159689 : 160175 AH-1 165044 : 165277 : 165280 : 165323 H-46 150958 : 151915 : 153350 : 154817 : 156420 : 156426 : 156439 : 157696 H-53 164362 : 164363 : 164364 : 164365 except for the 2 US Navy HH-46D all aircraft for composite unit HMM-268 with code YQ-..
2000-dec-23	Port Visit	LHA-4 USS Nassau , Italy up to 4jan01
2001-jan-8	Port Visit	LHA-4 USS Nassau , Malta up to 11jan01
2001-feb-2	Port Visit	LHA-4 USS Nassau , France up to 5feb01
2001-mar-13	Port Visit	LHA-4 USS Nassau , Malta up to 16mar01
2001-nov-25	Deployment	LHA-5 USS Peleliu Launched CH-63Es from HMM-163 carrying US Marines from Task Force 58 in their assault on Rhino.
2002-sep	Deployment	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood part of a 3 ship Amphibious Ready Group
2004-jun-29	Deployment	LHA-1 USS Tarawa RIMPAC 04 Participated in RIMPAC 04 exercise
2005-jun-24	Deployment	LHA-2 USS Saipan Fleet Review: Trafalgar 200 Present at Trafalgar 200 Fleet Review, off Ryde Sand anchorage
2005-jul-1	Port Visit	LHA-2 USS Saipan Present at International Festival of the Sea 2005, Portsmouth
2005-oct-28	Decommissioned	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood
2005-oct-28	Struck	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood
2006-jul-13	Fate: sunk	LHA-3 USS Belleau Wood as target during RIMPAC 06
2007-apr-25	Decommissioned	LHA-2 USS Saipan
2008-jun-2	Port Visit	LHA-5 USS Peleliu visit Singapore
2009-mar-31	Decommissioned	LHA-1 USS Tarawa to fleet reserve
2010-jan-18	Deployment	LHA-4 USS Nassau Operation Panlake Diverted with its embarked V-22 and 24 MEU to Haiti for Earthquake relief effort (arrived 18 Jan) as part of US Operation Unified Response, with USS Bataan.
2011-mar-31	Decommissioned	LHA-4 USS Nassau to reserve fleet at Beaumont, TX

Derivatives / Succeeded by

Wasp class

America (2014) class