New Amphibious Assault Ship USS Tripoli Joins the U.S. Navy

[Dial H For Hero]

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a33338675/uss-tripoli-navy/



The U.S. Navy welcomed a new amphibious assault ship into the fleet this week even as one of its sister ships lay burning. The ship, designed to deliver Marines by air into hostile territory, was commissioned in a low-key virtual ceremony to ensure social distancing. Tripoli will be based at San Diego Naval Base, California, where sister ship USS Bonhomme Richard is currently on fire.

The ship’s traditional commissioning ceremony, a public event that would have drawn thousands and originally set to take place at Pensacola, Florida, was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead the ship was commissioned by “administrative message” from the Navy to the fleet, while onboard the crew raised the commissioning flag to signify the event.

USS Tripoli is the second ship of the America-class amphibious assault ships, which in turn is a derivative of the Wasp-class ships. The Wasp-class ships were fitted with both an aircraft carrier-like full-length flight deck, island bridge, and hangar to support the aircraft that would shuttle U.S. Marines from ship to shore. The ships also included a floodable bay and voluminous parking area to ferry Marine armored and logistics vehicles—including 60-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks—to the beach.

USS America, and the subsequent USS Tripoli, were built a little differently. The two ships delete the ability to land Marines by sea, instead beefing up the ship’s hangar, aviation support services, and the amount of aircraft fuel and munitions the ship can carry. This allows it to support more MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor assault transports, CH-53E Sea Stallion heavy lift helicopters, UH-1Y Huey armed utility choppers, and AH-1Z Cobra gunships.

(excerpt)

[Amishman]

1. a bit bitter sweet knowing that Bonhomme Richard is almost certainly scrap

I do wonder if these smaller multi role carriers make more sense in the modern world than our huge fleet carriers.

The new USS Tripoli is larger than France's only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle; and only sightly smaller than China's active carriers.

[Dial H For Hero]

2. A mix of both heavy and light carriers strikes me as the most senisble approach.

[Docreed2003]

7. Calling these ships carriers is a bit disingenuous

Yes they have a flight deck but those flight decks are designed for helicopters and planes like Harriers that can take off from the flight deck but land vertically on the deck. They aren't equipped to land standard Navy jets, meaning they don't have the arresting cables for tailhooks that traditional carriers have.

[Amishman]

12. They can carry the B variant of the F35

The Tripoli's design leaves out the well deck entirely to focus more on carrier functions.

[Docreed2003]

13. Isn't the B variant a short takeoff vertical landing jet

Similar to the Harrier?

I hadn't heard they had the option of removing the well deck on these ships, that's interesting.

[Mendocino]

14. The Tripoli

will have a short/narrow well deck for small craft operations. The similar USS America has no well deck.

[Sgent]

3. I'm a little confused

the entire point of the LHD's was to land a battalion of marines, fully equipped, with air support. If they no longer have amphibious launch capabilities does that mean any marines have to go in by helicopter? What about their equipment and ammo?

[LiberalArkie]

4. FedEX?

[sarisataka]

5. The LHAs do not travel alone

They will be in a group with at least one LSD (landing ship dock) and one LPD (landing platform dock). These ships allow the launching of amphibious units.

It seems in practice the America class will have 2 LSDs to make up for lost amphibious capacity. They can provide greater air support than the Wasp class

[Alacritous Crier]

8. Correct.

Beat me to it.

[Sgent]

18. I guess

but the beauty of the original concept was a battalion that could operate alone -- see Kosovo, Panama, etc. Having one ship that could project power into small areas, peace keeping, etc. was the operational plan when the Wasp was originally built -- remember the Wasp can outrun most of the fleet so support vessels may be a day or more behind.

The Navy is always trying to take assets away from USMC and turning the Wasp into an escort carrier seems like they did.

That said, I'm no expert, especially with current planning, and I don't hear a lot of complaining.

[GulfCoast66]

6. Neat ship. And this democrat supports a vigorous navy...

But we don’t need nor can we afford 18 carriers and a 700 trillion? Dollar defense budget.

Just enough to fulfill our treaty obligations but not enough to get into crazy stupid wars.

I would be fine with cutting it in half.

[pwb]

9. Is there a Tripoli in the United States?

I am an Army man so who picks the names? Does Trump have a hotel in Tripoli? Lots of jets on that deck for an assault ship? It does not look like what it was designed to do for sure. Fits in current opposite world.

[sl8]

10. "From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli"?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Derna_(1805)

[sarisataka]

11. The name makes sense

If you are familiar with Marine Corps history.

It is designed to carry the F-35 for fighter/attack missions and helicopters and Ospreys to carry Marines ashore.

[Happy Hoosier]

15. The LHA's were all named after famous Marine battles

Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Belleau Wood, etc. Tripoli is, of course, immortalized in song.

[GulfCoast66]

17. Read up. I learned it is high school history class.

It was an event that kind of set a policy we have kept forever.

The Barbary states in North Africa had for decades been taking ships from European nations and enslaving their sailors. And they routinely paid ransom to get them back. Had they not, the men would have been sold into slavery, perhaps castrated and forced to convert religions.

So they took a US ship. Jefferson refused to pay the ransom. He made a famous quote. Which I’m about to murder because I am too lazy to look it up.

‘Millions for defense, not one cent for tribute.’

So we sent almost our entire Navy over there to put a stop to it. The only thing I remember is the Decatur led the raid.

Anyway we kicked their ass, freed our men and they did not fuck with us anymore.

Again, I looked nothing up because I love when DUers correct me on these things.

But the most important result of this was not the actual raid or the results. But strategically; it made European nations sit up and realize we were serious about the whole Nation thing. And I learned this in 10th grade in Arkansas!

It was a seminal event in not only the Marine Corps history and tradition but the Navy’s. It helped galvanize us as Americans not a group of states.

You should look it up. I’m sure my 40 year memory is faulty but it made a real impression on me about not backing down to bullies. About that time I had my growth spurt and was taking the action necessary to stop the guys who had been bullying me since middle school.

Have a nice evening.

[pwb]

20. Ronald Reagan, George Bush,

Thought carriers were named after people. Danang or Khe Sahn seem more appropriate than old world war two battles. Anyway I have no corrections for you except you learned it IN high school history class. Peace friend. Go Army.

[GulfCoast66]

21. I think because it carries Marines into combat it is named after their battles.

A kind of friend was a Marine Officer. They take their history real seriously.


Interested to know if it is now law that carriers are named after Presidents? All the recent ones have been. Although the first Nimitz Class carrier was named after an admiral, obviously.

Have a nice weekend.

[Mendocino]

16. WWII fleet carriers

were 800+ feet long. Light carriers were 600+ or so, built on light-cruiser hulls. Both had comparable speed. Escort carriers were slower and lightly armored. Escorts were called "jeep carriers" or "baby flattops".

[Sgent]

19. They also didn't have to

deal with swept wing jet fighters. A WWII airplane probably didn't need more than 60knts plus hull speed to take off, vs even the F35B probably needs near 200knots or more.

[GulfCoast66]

22. 60 knts? Did not know that. I guess that's why the had to turn into the wind.

Needed all the lift they could get. I remember seeing films of planes coming all WWII carriers and how the planes would ‘drop’ after coming off the deck. Those guys had moxie for sure.

[JHB]

23. The F4U Corsair had a take-off speed of 86.5 mph...

...and take-off distance was about 760 ft with no wind (shorter with a headwind, including a ship sailing into the wind).

The F-35s operating off these ships have STOVL (short take-off and vertical-landing) capability. They're replacing the A/V-8B Harriers used in recent decades.

The WWII carriers also had straight decks, which limited operations but gave planes more length to get up to take-off speed. The angled decks of modern carriers allows more flexibility in launch and recovery operations, with the catapults making up for the shorter runs for launches.