Wasp class amphibious assault ship

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Class overview

Name:	Wasp
Preceded by:	Tarawa -class amphibious assault ships
Succeeded by:	LHA(R) development program
General characteristics
Class and type:	amphibious assault ship
Displacement:	Approx. 40,500 tons (41,150 metric tons) full load
Length:	844 ft (257 m)
Beam:	106 ft (32 m)
Propulsion:	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)
Speed:	20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement:	104 officers, 1,004 enlisted 1,894 Marine Detachment
Armament:	Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers; two NATO Sea Sparrow launchers; three 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts (two on LHD 5-7); four .50 cal. machine guns; four 25 mm Mk 38 autocannon (LHD 5-7 have three 25 mm Mk 38 autocannon).
Aircraft carried:	Actual mix depends upon mission[1] Standard Complement 6 AV-8B Harrier attack aircraft 4 AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter 12 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters 3 CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters 3 UH-1N Huey helicopters OR Assault 42 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters OR Sea Control 20 AV-8B Harrier attack aircraft 6 ASW helicopters
Notes:	Ships in class include: USS Wasp (LHD 1) USS Essex (LHD 2) USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) USS Boxer (LHD 4) USS Bataan (LHD 5) USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) PCU Makin Island (LHD 8)

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. The Wasp Class has a large air wing of helicopters which are dedicated to ferrying troops and equipment ashore from the ships. These are supplemented by a wing of up to 8 AV-8B Harrier V/STOL attack aircraft. They also possess a well deck for launching smaller landing craft, up to three Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft or Landing Craft Utility (LCUs). The Wasp class vessels are derived from the earlier Tarawa class. The Tarawa-class ships have a "notched" flight deck and forward sponsons, which originally carried 5" guns, while the Wasp class has a squared-off forward flight deck and no forward sponsons. In addition, the Wasp class are 24 feet longer to better accommodate the LCAC landing craft. Each Wasp ship has 600 hospital beds and six operating rooms.