USS America: The Navy's Newest Flattop Can't Decide What The Hell It Is

[sarisataka]

USS America: The Navy's Newest Flattop Can't Decide What The Hell It Is

Yesterday, as part of San Francisco's Fleet Week festivities, the US Navy had a high-profile commissioning ceremony for the USS America LHA-6, the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name and the first in a new class of amphibious assault ships that are really more like aircraft carriers, yet somehow, compromised as both.

Although her maiden voyage — a delivery cruise from Louisiana to her home port in San Diego — went well, the America Class remains a controversial defense program that is tied directly to two of the most controversial defense programs of all time. Those being V-22 Osprey and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The America Class, although based largely on the final Wasp Class vessel, USS Makin Island LHD-8, and slightly larger by displacement, greatly differs from it and recent big deck 'amphib' designs of last few decades in one major way. Recent big deck amphibious assault ships, such as the Tarawa and Wasp Classes, are as much floating docks as they are aircraft carriers, with huge hangar-like floodable garages located on their sterns. These "well decks" are where everything from small boats to massive Land Craft Air Cushion hovercraft operate from. The new America Class on the other hand was designed without this key feature, instead her focus will be on aviation, specifically the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and the MV-22B Osprey.

Many have argued that this aviation focus basically makes the America Class strictly an aircraft carrier. This is true to some extent, although the Wasp and Tarawa Classes that came before her were also larger than the vast majority of 'aircraft carriers' operating around the world, but their well decks and large parking garage like cargo spaces were clearly a differentiating factor. One thing is certain, the USS America is all about vertical envelopment of the enemy, and will largely leave the surface logistics and sea-born assault aspects of Marine expeditionary warfare to her San Antonio Class, Whidbey Island Class, Harpers Ferry Class, and Austin Class cousins when operating as the centerpiece of an Expeditionary Strike Group.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/uss-america-the-navys-newest-flattop-cant-decide-what-1645391823

Is it just me or have we just built a modernized Midway class carrier?

[MADem]

1. Fair point you make. It can double as a floating island, a command center, etc.

I am not a real fan of the OSPREY--I know people say they're fine now, but they give me the creeps. I remember seeing concept drawings of the thing back in the seventies and that's a long time between the pen and the assembly line. I am more comfortable with Harriers, though they're loud as hell. We need something that is more George Jetson friendly, IMO.

I think the article makes many good points--the crappy deck needs fixing, and really--I like well decks on amphibious vessels. Yes, it's a paradigm, but some paradigms aren't a bad thing.

It will be interesting to see how subsequent vessels in the class turn out, and how this thing gets deployed. It does make an imposing statement off the coast of a trouble spot. We'll see...!

[unhappycamper]

2. Naaah. We're headed off a financial cliff.

According to wikipedia, this bad boy is over $3,400,000,000 ($3.4B).

In contrast, WW II Iowa-class battleships cost $100,000,000 ($100M).

Every combat jet jet we've built in the last 15 years is at least $100+ million dollars.




F-22: $418 million dollars
F-35: who the fuck knows
Ford-class aircraft carriers: $16 ~ $40 billion (each)
Zumwalt-class destroyers: at least $5.6 billion (each)