MILNET: Amphibious Assault Ships - LPH

U.S. Navy Fact File

Admiral Jay L. Johnson, Chief of Naval Operations has said, the Amphibious Assault Ship is an important part of a set of resources "...vitally important to world peace and stability".

The LPH, while similar to a huge aircraft carrier, is a much smaller home to resources that can be used in the assault of a given target, forward deployed or at the ready. In fact the specifications look a lot like a carrier, including the fact that there is little armament for ship self protection. And like a carrier, the aircraft aboard can act as protection if necessary. The only self protection on board are a number of machine guns and the last ditch efforts of 2 Phalanx CIWS guns.

Thus the LHA depends upon other surface combatants for real protection. So naturally you will always find one or more cruisers, destroyers, or frigates nearby, ready to protect the assault force at sea. And therefore, a common place to find an LHD is in the midst of the capital ships in a battlegroup, steaming their way to the target vicinity.

The primary mission of the LPH is to support an amphibious assault. In the mission statement from the U.S.S. Guam's home page, we see:

The mission of the USS GUAM, one of Seven IWO Jima class amphibious assault ships built is to transport more than 1700 fully equipped Marine Assault Troops into combatr areas and land them by helocopter at designated inland points. This technique of vertical envelopment pioneered by the Navy-Marine Corps Team, exploits flexibility and suprise. Guam is capable of supporting a Marine Batallion Landing Team, it's armament, vehicles, equipment and a reinforced squadron of transport helicopters and various support personnel. Combat-ready Marinesare flown in-land behind the enemy's defenses by helicopters to isolate strategic strong points, disrupt communicatioins, and converge with beach landed Marines to gain ultimate control of their objective. Guam also supports mine-sweeping operations with Helicopter Mine Countermeasure Squadrons and provides humanitarian assistance and a non-combatant evacuations of American Embassy personnel and citizens caught in civil-conflict overseas.

Here is the data for last remaining Iwo Jima class LPH, the U.S.S. Guam:

U.S.S Guam LPH-9

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