Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship

passing the Coronado Bridge in San Diego Bay in August 2003.

The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship is a dock landing ship of the United States Navy. Introduced to fleet service in 1985, this class of ship features a large well deck for transporting United States Marine Corps (USMC) vehicles and a large flight deck for landing helicopters or V-22 Ospreys. The well deck was designed to hold four LCAC hovercraft, five if the vehicle ramp is raised, for landing Marines. Recent deployments have used a combination of LCU(s), AAVs, tanks, LARCs and other USMC vehicles. The Whidbey Island class of ship also uniquely benefits from multiple cranes and a shallow draft that further make it ideal for participating in amphibious operations.

As of 2009, all ships of the class are scheduled to undergo a midlife upgrade over the next five years to ensure that they remain in service through 2038. The ships will be upgraded annually through 2013, and the last ship will be modernized in 2014. Ships homeported on the East Coast will undergo upgrades at Metro Machine Corp., while those on the West Coast will receive upgrades at General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego.

File:New Orleans USS Tortuga Katrina Sept 5.jpg

Stern view of with open well deck

Major elements of the upgrade package include diesel engine improvements, fuel and maintenance savings systems, engineering control systems, increased air conditioning and chill water capacity, and replacement of air compressors. The ships also replaced steam systems with all-electric functionality that will decrease maintenance effort and expense.

Ships

Ship Name	Hull No.	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Homeport	Notes
	LSD-41	Lockheed, Seattle	4 August 1981	10 June 1983	9 February 1985	22 July 2022	Philadelphia, PA (formerly Little Creek)	Template:Naval Vessel Register URL
	LSD-42		5 August 1982	29 June 1984	8 February 1986	Proposed 2023	San Diego, California	Template:Naval Vessel Register URL
	LSD-43		10 June 1983	1 February 1986	8 August 1987	27 March 2021	Philadelphia, PA (formerly Mayport)	Template:Naval Vessel Register URL
	LSD-44	Avondale Shipyard	26 May 1986	27 June 1987	22 April 1989	Proposed 2023	Little Creek, Virginia	Template:Naval Vessel Register URL
	LSD-45		27 October 1986	15 January 1988	3 February 1990	Proposed 2026	San Diego, California	Template:Naval Vessel Register URL
	LSD-46		23 March 1987	15 September 1988	17 November 1990	Proposed 2023	Little Creek, Virginia	Template:Naval Vessel Register URL
	LSD-47		9 November 1987	6 May 1989	1 June 1991	Proposed 2024	Sasebo, Japan	Template:Naval Vessel Register URL
	LSD-48		4 April 1988	11 November 1989	9 May 1992	Proposed 2023	San Diego, California	Template:Naval Vessel Register URL

Whidbey Island and Tortuga were scheduled to be decommissioned during the FYDP 2013-2018, and the remaining ships of the class were scheduled to be retired before the end of their service lives. However, the Navy reversed its plan to decommission Whidbey Island, and in 2015 Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley informed Congress of the Navy's plans to modernize Whidbey Island, Tortuga, and Germantown to extend them each to a 44-year total service life.

References

• US Navy Type Information
• Hutchinson, R. (ed.) (2002) Jane's Warship Recognition Guide, London : HarperCollins, Template:ISBN

External links

• Federation of American Scientists (FAS): LSD-41 Whidbey Island class
• GlobalSecurity.org: LSD-41 Whidbey Island class