Wasp-class amphibious assault ship

USS Wasp (LHD-1), in March 2004.
Class overview
Name:	Wasp class
Builders:	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceded by:	Tarawa class
Succeeded by:	America class
Cost:	Roughly $1.5 billion
In commission:	1989–present
Completed:	8
Active:	8
General characteristics
Type:	Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship
Displacement:	40,500 long tons (41,150 t) full load
Length:	843 ft (257 m)
Beam:	104 ft (31.8 m)
Draft:	27 ft (8.1 m)
Propulsion:	Two boilers, two geared steam turbines, two shafts, 70,000 shp (52,000 kW); Two General Electric LM2500 geared gas turbines, two shafts (USS Makin Island)
Speed:	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Range:	9,500 nautical miles (17,600 km; 10,900 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried:	3 Landing Craft Air Cushion or 2 Landing Craft Utility or 12 Landing Craft Mechanized
Troops:	1,894 Marine Detachment
Complement:	1,208
Sensors and processing systems:	1 AN/SPS-49 2-D Air Search Radar 1 AN/SPS-48 3-D Air Search Radar 1 AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar 1 Mk23 Target Acquisition System (TAS) 1 AN/SPN-43 Marshalling Air Traffic Control Radar 1 AN/SPN-35 Air Traffic Control Radar 1 AN/URN-25 TACAN system 1 AN/UPX-24 Identification Friend Foe
Armament:	Two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers Two RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile launchers Three 20 mm Phalanx CIWS systems (LHD 5–8 with two) Four 25 mm Mk 38 chain guns (LHD 5–8 with three) Four .50 BMG machine guns
Aircraft carried:	Actual mix depends on the mission Standard Complement: 6 AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft 4 AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter 12 CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopters 9 CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters 3–4 UH-1N Huey helicopters Assault: 22+ MV-22 Osprey or 42 Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopters Sea Control: 20 AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft 6 SH-60F/HH-60H ASW helicopters

The Wasp class is a class of Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious assault ships operated by the United States Navy. Based on the Tarawa class, with modifications to operate more advanced aircraft and landing craft, the Wasp class is capable of transporting almost the full strength of a United States Marine Corps Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and landing them in hostile territory via landing craft or helicopters. All Wasp-class ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, at Pascagoula, Mississippi, with the lead ship, USS Wasp, commissioned on 29 July 1989. Eight Wasp-class ships were built, and as of 2016^[update], all eight are active.

The Wasp class is based on the preceding Tarawa-class design. The design was modified to allow for the operation of AV-8B Harrier II aircraft and Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft, making the Wasp class the first ships specifically designed to operate these.

The main physical changes between the two designs are the lower placement of the ship's bridge in the Wasp class, the relocation of the command and control facilities to inside the hull, the removal of the 5-inch (127 mm) Mk 45 naval guns and their sponsons on the forward edge of the flight deck, and a lengthening of 24 feet (7.3 m) to carry the LCACs.