The Anchorage class Dock Landing Ship (LSD) designed to operate as an integral part of a balanced, mobile and modern amphibious strike force. The ship couples a well deck with a flight deck to give greater dimension to the Navy's troop and vehicle lifting capability. Primarily designed to transport pre-loaded heavy landing craft to the shore and discharge them rapidly, the ship is also equipped with machine shops and facilities to provide dry docking and repairs to small boats.
Intrinsic in the well deck operation is a ballasting system that fills the deck with sea water to a depth necessary for loading landing craft such as the LCU and LCAC. The ships are designed to transport and operate heavy landing craft from a large well deck, and have been modified for operations with the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC). USS Mount Vernon was the first West Coast ship to be modified for operations with the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), used for transportation of personnel and equipment for amphibious operations. Wet well evolutions are facilitated through the use of complex, electro-hydraulically controlled ballasting and deballasting systems. The helicopter landing platform can be used in support of helicopter assaults and logistic operations. The ships' habitability features provide for the berthing, messing and cargo transportation of approximately 300 fully equipped combat troops of the landing force in addition to the 360 crew members assigned. Installed electronic equipment includes air, navigation, and surface search radars, a complete communications suite and an Electronic Emitter Detection System to support the ship's amphibious mission.
Two Anchorage-class LSD-36s will be retired from service by FY 1999.
Specifications |
|
| Power Plant | Two 600 psi boilers, two geared steam turbines, two shafts, 24,000 total shaft horsepower |
| Length | 553 feet (168.6 meters) |
| Beam | 85 feet (25.9 meters) |
| Displacement | 14,000 tons (full load) |
| Speed | 22 knots (25.3 miles per hour, 40.5 km, per hour) |
| Aircraft | None |
| Landing Craft | 3 LCAC Landing Craft, Air Cushion |
| Crew | Ships Company: 18 officers, 340 enlisted Marine Detachment: 330 Departments |
| Armament | 4 - 3-inch/50
cal. twin barrel guns 2 - 25mm MK 38 Machine Guns 2 - 20mm Phalanx CIWS |
| Unit Operating Cost Annual Average |
$20,000,000 [source |