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USS Makin Island (LHD-8)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | April 2002 |
| Laid down: | 14 February 2004 |
| Christening: | 19 August 2006 |
| Launched: | 15 September 2006 |
| Commissioned: | Spring/Summer 2008 (scheduled) |
| Status: | under construction |
| General characteristics | |
| Class: | Wasp |
| Builder: | Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss. |
| Displacement: | 41,335 tons full, 28,333 tons light, 12,821 tons dead |
| Length: | 844 ft (257 m) overall, 778 ft (237 m) waterline |
| Beam: | 110 ft (34 m) extreme, 106 ft (32 m) waterline |
| Draft: | 27 ft (8.2 m) navigational, 28 ft (8.5 m) limit |
| Power Plant: | 2 × 35,000 hp gas turbines (GE - LM 2500+)
6 × 4,000 kW diesel generators (Fairbanks Morse Engines) |
| Propulsion: | Two shafts 70,000 shaft horsepower (52 MW)
2 × 16.5 ft diameter controllable pitch propellers (Rolls Royce) |
| Speed: | 20+ knots (37+ km/h) |
| Range: | 9500+ nmi. (17,600 km) at 20 knots |
| Complement (typical): | Embarked ships company: 102 officers, 78 CPO/SNCO, 1024 crew Embarked Marine detachment: |
| Armament: | 2 × Rolling Airframe Missile launchers, 2 × NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts, 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, 3 × 25 mm Mk 38 machine guns, 1 × ceremonial gun |
| Aircraft (typical): | Assault: 45 × CH-46 helicopters, Sea Control: |
| Landing Craft (typical): | 3 × air cushion landing craft (LCAC) or 39 EFVs |
| Motto: | Gung Ho |
USS Makin Island (LHD-8), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, will be the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Makin Island, target of the Marine Raiders' attack early on in the United States' involvement in World War II.
Makin Island was laid down on 14 February 2004 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was christened on 19 August 2006, sponsored by Mrs. Silke Hagee, wife of General Michael Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and launched on 15 September 2006. As of 2006 she is scheduled to be commissioned in 2008.
The purpose/mission of Makin Island is to embark, deploy, and land elements of a Marine landing force in an Amphibious Assault by helicopters, landing craft, and amphibious vehicles. The secondary/convertible mission for Makin Island is that of sea control and power projection.
Although Makin Island is the eighth ship of the Wasp class, it will feature noteworthy technological advances. Changes from the previous LHD design include: gas turbine main propulsion engines, all-electric auxiliaries, an advanced machinery control system, water mist fire protection systems, and the Navy’s most advanced command and control and combat systems equipment. The gas turbine propulsion plant, with all electric auxiliaries, is a program first for large deck amphibious assault ships and will provide significant savings in manpower and maintenance costs associated with traditional steam-powered amphibious ships.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, US Navy officials announced that several ships under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, had been damaged by the storm, including the USS Makin Island and two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.
See USS Makin Island for other ships of the same name.
- USS Makin Island official website
- nvr.navy.mil: USS Makin Island
- globalsecurity.org: USS Makin Island
- navsource.org: USS Makin Island
- LHD-8 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com
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| List of amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy |
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