Editing Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship

{{Short description|Class of US amphibious assault ships}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = USS Saipan LHA-2 amphibious assault ship.jpg
| Ship caption = {{USS|Saipan|LHA-2|6}} during [[Expeditionary Strike Group]] integration training in 2004
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = ''Tarawa'' class
| Builders = [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
| Operators = {{naval|United States}}
| Class before = {{sclass|Iwo Jima|amphibious assault ship|4}}
| Class after = {{sclass|Wasp|amphibious assault ship|4}}
| Subclasses = 
| Cost = 
| Built range = 15 November 1971 – 3 May 1980
| In service range = 
| In commission range = 29 May 1976 – 31 March 2015
| Total ships building = 
| Total ships planned = 9
| Total ships completed = 5
| Total ships cancelled = 4
| Total ships active = 
| Total ships laid up = 
| Total ships lost = 
| Total ships retired = 5
| Total ships preserved = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = [[Amphibious assault ship]]/[[Landing Helicopter Assault|LHA]]
| Ship displacement = {{convert|39967|t}} full load
| Ship length = {{convert|834|ft}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|131.9|ft}}
| Ship draft = {{convert|25.9|ft}}
| Ship hold depth = 
| Ship decks = 
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship ramps = 
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = *2 × [[Combustion Engineering]] boilers
*2 × [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] turbines
*{{convert|70000|hp}}
*2 × propeller shafts
*1 × [[bow thruster]]
| Ship speed = {{convert|24|kn}}
| Ship range = {{convert|10000|nmi}} at {{convert|20|kn}}
| Ship boats = *4 × [[Landing Craft Utility#LLCU 1466, 1610 and 1627 classes|LCU 1610]]
*Or two LCU and two [[LCM-8]]
*Or 17 [[LCM-6]]
*Or 45 [[Assault Amphibious Vehicle|AAVP]]
| Ship capacity = 
| Ship troops = 1,703
| Ship complement = 56 officers, 874 sailors (1998)
| Ship time to activate = 
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = *''As of 1998:''
*Mark 49 RAM missile system
*2 × [[Vulcan Phalanx]]
*6 × [[M242 Bushmaster|25 mm automatic cannons]]
*8 × 12.7 mm machine guns
*''Previous weapons:''
*2 × 8 cell MK- 25 NATO [[Sea Sparrow]] BPDMS launchers (replaced by Phalanx units)
*3 × [[5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun|5-inch (127 mm) Mk 45 lightweight guns]] (removed 1997–1998)
| Ship aircraft = *Up to 19 [[Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion|Sea Stallions]], 26 [[Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight|Sea Knights]], or mixed airgroup
*6 [[McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II|Harrier jump-jets]]
| Ship aircraft facilities = {{convert|820|by|118.1|ft|adj=on}} flight deck with 2 aircraft lifts
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

The '''''Tarawa'' class''' is a [[ship class]] of [[Landing Helicopter Assault]] (LHA) type [[amphibious assault ship]]s operated by the [[United States Navy]] (USN). Five ships were built by [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]] between 1971 and 1980; another four ships were planned, but later canceled; instead they were joined by the {{sclass|Wasp|amphibious assault ship}}s.

{{As of|2015|03}}, all vessels had been decommissioned. The ''Tarawa'' class were replaced by the {{Sclass|America|amphibious assault ship}}s from 2014 onward while the ''Wasp'' class remains in service.

==Design==
The vessels have a full load displacement of {{convert|39967|t}}.<ref name=Sharpe822>Sharpe (ed.), ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1998–99'', p. 822</ref> Each ship is {{convert|834|ft}} long, with a beam of {{convert|131.9|ft}}, and a draft of {{convert|25.9|ft}}.<ref name=Sharpe822/>

Propulsion is provided by two [[Combustion Engineering]] boilers, connected to two [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] turbines.<ref name=Sharpe822/> These supply {{convert|70000|hp|lk=in}} to the ship's two propeller shafts.<ref name=Sharpe822/> A ''Tarawa''-class vessel can reach a maximum speed of {{convert|24|kn|lk=in}}, and has a maximum range of {{convert|10000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|20|kn}}.<ref name=Sharpe822/> In addition to the main propulsion system, the ships are fitted with a [[bow thruster]].<ref name=Sharpe822/>

As of 1998, the ships' armament consisted of a Mark 49 RAM surface-to-air missile system, two [[Vulcan Phalanx]] close-in weapons systems, six Mark 242 25&nbsp;mm automatic cannons, and eight 12.7&nbsp;mm machine guns.<ref name=Sharpe822/> Previously, the amphibious warships were fitted with 2 Mark 25 [[RIM-7 Sea Sparrow|Sea Sparrow]] missile systems (which were replaced by the Phalanx units), and three [[5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun|5-inch (127 mm) Mk 45 lightweight guns]] in bow and starboard aft [[sponson]]s (the guns were removed across the class during 1997 and 1998).<ref name=Sharpe822/> Countermeasures and decoys include four [[Mark 36 SRBOC]] launchers, a [[SLQ-25 Nixie]] towed torpedo decoy, a [[Sea Gnat]] unit, [[AN/SLQ-49 Chaff Buoy Decoy System|SLQ-49 chaff decoys]].<ref name=Sharpe822/>

The number of helicopters carried by each vessel was up to 19 [[Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion]]s, 26 [[Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight]], or a mix of the two.<ref name=Sharpe822/> The {{convert|820|by|118.1|ft|adj=on}} flight deck is fitted with two aircraft lifts, and up to nine Sea Stallions or 12 Sea Knights can be operated simultaneously.<ref name=Sharpe822/> With a small amount of modification, the ships could carry and operate up to six [[McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II]] jump-jets.<ref name=Sharpe822/>

[[File:Amphibious assault ship USS Belleau Wood (July 7 2004).jpg|thumb|left|A [[Landing Craft Utility|LCU]] returning to {{USS|Belleau Wood|LHA-3|6}}'s well deck]]

The ''Tarawa''-class ships are designed to embark a reinforced battalion of the [[United States Marine Corps]] and their equipment.<ref name=Sharpe822/> Onboard accommodation is provided for up to 1,703 marines, while {{convert|33730|cuft}} is provided for the battalion's vehicles, and {{convert|116900|cuft}} is allocated for stores and other equipment.<ref name=Sharpe822/> As well as deploying by helicopters, personnel and equipment can be embarked or offloaded via a {{convert|268|by|78|ft|adj=on}} [[Well dock|well deck]] in each ship's stern.<ref name=Sharpe822/> Up to four [[Landing Craft Utility#LCU 1466, 1610 and 1627 classes|LCU 1610]] landing craft can be transported in and operated from the well deck, along with other designs and combinations of landing craft (two LCU and two [[LCM-8]], or 17 [[LCM-6]], or 45 [[Assault Amphibious Vehicle|AAVP]]).<ref name=Sharpe822/>

The ''Tarawa'' design was later repeated for the {{sclass|Wasp|amphibious assault ship|2}}s, with some changes.<ref name=BisChan230>Bishop & Chant, ''Aircraft Carriers'', p. 230</ref> The main changes to the latter eight-ship class include the lower placement of the ship's [[bridge (ship)|bridge]] aboard the ''Wasp''s, the relocation of the command and control facilities to inside the hull, modifications to allow the operation of Harrier jump-jets and [[Landing Craft Air Cushion]] hovercraft, and removal of the 5-inch guns and their sponsons to increase the overall size of the flight deck.<ref name=BisChan230/><ref name=Wertheim921/>

==Construction==
All five [[warship]]s were built by [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]], at this company's [[shipyard]] in [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]].<ref name=Sharpe822/> ''Tarawa'' was approved for construction during [[Fiscal year#United States|fiscal year]] 1969, with two more ships of this class ordered by [[U.S. Congress|Congress]] in the 1970 and 1971 fiscal years.<ref name=Sharpe822/>

Design problems emerged early in the LHA program and contrary to the intent of the [[Total Package Procurement]] concept, the Navy became heavily involved in the design process.<ref name=PSAD-80-39>{{cite book|title=Two Navy Ship Contracts Modified By Public Law 850804 -- Status As Of July 29, 1979|date=29 July 1979|publisher=[[General Accounting Office]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|pages=1|url=http://www.gao.gov/assets/130/129277.pdf|access-date=4 January 2016}}</ref> Nine ships were originally contracted for the ''Tarawa'' class, but that number was reduced to five in January 1971.<ref name=PSAD-80-39/> The other four ships were never built for the Navy.<ref name=Sharpe822/>
 
Work on the first warship of this class, {{USS|Tarawa|LHA-1|6}}, began on 15 November 1971, and she was commissioned into the Navy on 29 May 1976.<ref name=Sharpe822/> The last of the five ships, {{USS|Peleliu|LHA-5|6}}, was completed on 3 May 1980.<ref name=Sharpe822/>

==Decommissioning and replacement==
{{Main|America-class amphibious assault ship}}
The ''Tarawa''s began leaving service in 2005. By April 2011, four of the five amphibious assault ships had been decommissioned, leaving only ''Peleliu'' in active service.<ref name=USNFacts>{{cite web|title=United States Navy Fact File - AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIPS - LHA/LHD/LHA(R)|url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=400&ct=4%20target=_blank|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928194444/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=400&ct=4%20target=_blank|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 September 2012|access-date=23 May 2014}}</ref> ''Peleliu'' was decommissioned on 31 March 2015 in San Diego.<ref>{{cite news|title=US Navy decommissions USS Peleliu|url=http://www.naval-technology.com/news/newsus-navy-decommissions-uss-peleliu-4545317|publisher=naval-technology.com|date=2 April 2015|access-date=25 June 2015|archive-date=10 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410042944/http://www.naval-technology.com/news/newsus-navy-decommissions-uss-peleliu-4545317|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The ''Tarawa'' class is to be replaced by the {{sclass|America|amphibious assault ship|4}}.<ref name=Wertheim921>Wertheim (ed.), ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World'', p. 921</ref> The first ''America''-class vessel was delivered and commissioned in 2014.

==Ships in class==
{|class="wikitable"
! Name
! Hull number
! Laid down
! Launched
! Commissioned
! Decommissioned
! Fate
|-
| {{USS|Tarawa|LHA-1|2}}
| LHA-1
| 15 November 1971
| 1 December 1973
| 29 May 1976
| 31 March 2009
|Sunk as target ship on 19 July 2024
|-
| {{USS|Saipan|LHA-2|2}}
| LHA-2
| 21 July 1972
| 18 July 1974
| 15 October 1977
| 25 April 2007
| Scrapped 2009
|-
| {{USS|Belleau Wood|LHA-3|2}}<br>(ex-''Philippine Sea'')
| LHA-3
| 5 March 1973
| 11 April 1977
| 23 September 1978
| 28 October 2005
| Sunk as [[target ship]] on 13 July 2006
|-
| {{USS|Nassau|LHA-4|2}}<br>(ex-''Leyte Gulf'')
| LHA-4
| 13 August 1973
| 21 January 1978
| 28 July 1979
| 31 March 2011
| Scrapped 30 April 2021<ref>{{cite web
 | title = SteelCoast's Growing Momentum Delivers Gains
 | url = https://maritime-executive.com/corporate/steelcoast-s-growing-momentum-delivers-gains
 | website = The Maritime Executive
 | date =  19 May 2021
 | access-date = 9 September 2021 }}</ref>

|-
| {{USS|Peleliu|LHA-5|2}}<br>(ex-''Da Nang'', ex-''Khe Sanh'')
| LHA-5
| 12 November 1976
| 25 November 1978
| 3 May 1980
| 31 March 2015
| In reserve
|}

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last=Bishop |first=Chris |author2=Chant, Christopher  |title=Aircraft Carriers: the world's greatest naval vessels and their aircraft |year=2004 |publisher=MBI |location=London |isbn=0-7603-2005-5 |oclc=56646560 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PY8CvlKC7kgC}}
*{{cite book |title=Jane's Fighting Ships 1998–99 |editor=Sharpe, Richard |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=Coulsdon, Surrey |year=1998 |edition=101st |isbn=0-7106-1795-X |oclc=39372676}}
*{{cite book |title=The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems |editor=Wertheim, Eric |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, MD |year=2007 |edition=15th |isbn=978-1-59114-955-2 |oclc=140283156 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJunjRvplU4C}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Tarawa class amphibious assault ships}}
* [http://usnashs.org/lha1museum.html The USS Tarawa (LHA-1) Amphibious Assault Ship Museum]

{{Tarawa class amphibious assault ship}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarawa Class Amphibious Assault Ship}}
[[Category:Amphibious warfare vessel classes]]
[[Category:Helicopter carrier classes]]
[[Category:Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships| ]]
[[Category:Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States| ]]