Eugenio´s Warships - LHD-3 Kearsarge

Class, [Type]: Wasp, [LHD].

Builder: Ingalls, Pascagoula, Mississipi, U.S.A.

Launch date: 26 March 1992.

Commission date: 16 October 1993.

Displacement ( tons ): 27.565-28.295 light, 40.329-41.133 at full load, approx. 55.000 ballasted.

Dimensions ( metres ): 257,3 x 42,67 x 8,53

Main machinery: 2 x Combustion Engineering boilers, 2 x sets Westinghouse geared steam turbines ( 77.000 hp ), 2 props.

Speed ( knots ): 24.

Range ( miles ): 9.500 at 20 knots.

Complement: 1.082 ( 73 officers ) + 1.893 ( 173 officers ) + 200 additional emergency accommodations.

Guns: 2 x 20mm Mk15 Mod.13 Phalanx CIWS, 3 x 25mm/75 Mk38 Mod. 0 Bushmaster, 4 x 12,7mm M2-HB.

Missiles: SAM: 2 x Mk29 launchers ( 16 x RIM-7P Sea Sparrow missiles ), 2 x Mk31 launchers (42 x RIM-116A RAM missiles).

Military lift: Docking well: 3 x LCAC or 6 x LCM-8 or 2 x LCU or 40 x amphibious vehicles; 4 x LCPL´s and 2 x 12,2m utility boats; 2.127m² of vehicle parking space and 3.087m³ of dry cargo space.

Radar: Surface search: 1 x Norden SPS-67(V)3; Air Search: 1 x Raytheon SPS-49(V)5; 1 x ITT-Gilfillan SPS-48E, 3-D, early-warning; Navigation: 1 x Raytheon SPS-64(V)9; Target designation: 1 x Hughes Mk23 Mod.3 TAS; Fire control: 2 x Mk95 ( for Mk91 ), 2 x Mk90 for Phalanx; 1 x SPN-35A; 1 x SPN-43B CCA; 1 x SPN-47 precision CCA.

Sonar: WSC-1 Channel Finder mine avoidance system.

Countermeasures: Decoys: Mk36 Mod.12 SRBOC (6 x Mk137 launchers), SLQ-25A Nixie towed acoustic torpedo decoy; ECM/ESM: SRS-1 Combat D/F, Raytheon SLQ-32(V)3.

Helicopter: Depends on mission role. As Helicopter carrier: 20 x CH-46E, 10 x CH-53E, 6 x AH-1W and 3 x UH-1N, or 6 x AV-8B, 14 x CH-46E, 6 x CH-53E, 6 x AH-1W and 4 x UH-1N. As MCM 20 x CH-46E, 6 x MH-53E and 6 x Mk105 countermeasures sleds.

Aviation: Acting as Harrier carrier up to 28 x AV-8B can be carried in the absence of helicopters.

Callsign: NNKP ( November Kilo Papa )

Comment: Onboard hospital includes six hundred beds and six operating rooms. Flight deck is 249,6m x 32,3m, enabling the operation of 9 x CH-53E or MV-22 Osprey at once. Two elevators.

Homeport: Norfolk.

Awards (as of 12/02/2020):