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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 Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, V-22 Ospreys. The well deck was designed to hold four Landing Craft Air Cushion, LCAC hovercraft, five if the vehicle ramp is raised, for landing Marines. Recent deployments have used a combination of LCU(s), AAVs, tanks, LARC-V, LARCs and other USMC vehicles. The ''Whidbey Island'' class of ship also uniquely benefits from multiple cranes and a shallow Draft (hull), 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.
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.
US Navy Type Information
*Hutchinson, R. (ed.) (2002) ''Jane's Warship Recognition Guide'', London : HarperCollins, *
*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/lsd-41.htm GlobalSecurity.org: LSD-41 Whidbey Island class] {{DEFAULTSORT:Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship Amphibious warfare vessel classes Naval ships of the United States Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships, Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Ships built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company
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
''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 (Research, Development and Acquisition), 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. As of March 2015, the first ''Whidbey Island''-class LSD to be retired will be ''Fort McHenry'' in FY 2027.Sources
US Navy Type Information
*Hutchinson, R. (ed.) (2002) ''Jane's Warship Recognition Guide'', London : HarperCollins, *
External links
*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/lsd-41.htm GlobalSecurity.org: LSD-41 Whidbey Island class] {{DEFAULTSORT:Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship Amphibious warfare vessel classes Naval ships of the United States Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships, Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Ships built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company