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Wasp Class
The Wasp class amphibious
assault ships of the United States Navy are
designed to land forces on hostile shores,
and they are the largest vessels of this type
in service anywhere in the world. To the untrained
eye they may resemble an aircraft carrier.
However, despite the fact that they normally
carry a small number of AV-8B Harrier II aircraft,
and have a secondary role supporting this
type in larger numbers, their primary role
is not operating fixed wing aircraft. They
have a large airwing of helicopters which
are dedicated to ferrying troops and equipment
ashore from the ships. They also possess a
well deck for launching smaller landing craft
such as the hovercraft LCAC. The Wasp class
vessels are derived from the earlier Tarawa
class.
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding,
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Power Plant: Two boilers, two geared steam
turbines, two shafts, 70,000 shaft horsepower
(52 MW);
(2 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines,
two geared turbines, two shafts in Makin Island)
Length: 844 ft (253.2 m)
Beam: 106 ft (31.8 m)
Displacement: Approx. 40,500 tons (41,150
metric tons) full load
Speed: 20 knots (23.5 mph, 37 km/h)
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