![]() ![]() With the deployment of the 8,000-ton Shinshū Maru and a further refinement, the 9,000-ton Akitsu Maru (1941), the Japanese amphibious forces had in hand prototypes for all-purpose amphibious ships. However, the Japanese were already in a state of defeat, and the ship was eventually not used as an aircraft carrier until it was sunk in the fall of 1944. Its successor, the Akitsu Maru ( あきつ丸), completed in 1942, had a full-length flight deck in addition to the floodable well deck, making it more like a full-fledged aircraft carrier. First, Shinshū Maru ( 神州丸 or 神洲丸), completed in 1934 as the world's first purpose-built landing ship, was designed to launch aircraft, but it did not have the facilities for landing. The Imperial Japanese Army had its own special army ships being similar to aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy: they were landing craft carriers that carried both landing craft and aircraft, and the plan was to launch the aircraft at the same time as the landing crafts carrying the troops, and to use them for combat air patrol, aerial reconnaissance and close air support. They would also transport aircraft and spare parts from the US to the remote island airstrips. On occasion, they would even escort the large carriers, serving as emergency airstrips and providing fighter cover for their larger sisters while these were busy readying or refueling their own planes. In this role, they would provide air cover for the troopships as well as fly the first wave of attacks on the beach fortifications in amphibious landing operations. In the Pacific theater of World War II, escort carriers would often escort the landing ships and troop carriers during the island-hopping campaign. History World War II Īkitsu Maru of the Imperial Japanese Army It applies to all large-deck amphibious ships such as the landing platform helicopter (LPH), landing helicopter assault (LHA), and landing helicopter dock (LHD). The term amphibious assault ship is often used interchangeably with other ship classifications. ![]() ![]() Amphibious assault ships are also operated by the Royal Australian Navy, the Brazilian Navy, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, the Egyptian Navy, the French Navy, the Italian Navy, the Republic of Korea Navy (South Korea), the Turkish Naval Force and the Spanish Navy. Just as an aircraft carrier leads a carrier strike group in the US Navy, an amphibious assault ship leads an expeditionary strike group. The largest fleet of these types is operated by the United States Navy, including the Wasp class dating back to 1989 and the very similar America-class ships that entered service in 2014. Most of these ships can also carry or support landing craft, such as air-cushioned landing craft ( hovercraft) or LCUs. However, some are capable of serving in the sea-control role, embarking aircraft like Harrier or the new F-35B variant of the Lightning II fighters for combat air patrol and helicopters for anti-submarine warfare or operating as a safe base for large numbers of STOVL fighters conducting air support for an expeditionary unit ashore. The role of the amphibious assault ship is fundamentally different from that of a standard aircraft carrier: its aviation facilities have the primary role of hosting helicopters to support forces ashore rather than to support strike aircraft. Coming full circle, some amphibious assault ships also support V/STOL fixed-wing aircraft, now having a secondary role as aircraft carriers. Modern ships support amphibious landing craft, with most designs including a well deck. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (and, as a result, are often mistaken for conventional fixed-wing aircraft carriers). Well deck of USS Iwo Jima seen from a deployed landing craftĪn amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. ![]()
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