The U.S. Navy has commissioned USS Tripoli in a low-key virtual ceremony to ensure social
distancing.
The traditional commissioning ceremony which was supposed to be public event was canceled
due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead of that, the ship was commissioned by an “administrative message” from the
Navy to the fleet and the crew raised the commissioning flag to mark the event.
Ship commander Capt. Kevin Myers said in the OSD statement,
“Being the third ship to bear the Tripoli namesake is a profound honor, and this crew
stands ready to carry on the legacy of our longstanding Navy and Marine Corps amphibious
community.
These sailors and Marines will pave the way for those still to come.
What’s remarkable is seeing the dedication, perseverance and resilience these new plank
owners have shown since day one, and more recently, through uncertain times as the Navy
and nation work through a pandemic.”
Tripoli will be based at San Diego Naval Base, California.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why USS Tripoli will be one of the most important
assets for the US Navy going forward?
Let’s get started.
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Tripoli is the third U.S. Navy ship named for the Battle of Derne in 1805.
It was the decisive victory of a mercenary army led by a detachment of United States
Marines and soldiers against the forces of Tripoli during the First Barbary War.
It was the first recorded land battle of the United States fought overseas.
USS Tripoli was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding (Huntington Ingalls Industries) at the company's
shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Fabrication of ship components began in July 2013, and the ship's keel was laid in a ceremony
on 20 June 2014 in Pascagoula.
Tripoli was christened on 16 September 2017, with Lynne Mabus (wife of former Navy Secretary
Ray Mabus) as her sponsor.
Tripoli is 855 feet long, displaces approximately 43,745 tons fully loaded, and is operated
by a crew of 1,000.
The ship has room for up to 1,687 Marines and their aircraft.
It is powered by two marine gas turbines that produce 70,000 bhp or 52,000 kW and enables
USS Tripoli to reach speeds of over 22 knots or 41 km/h or 25 mph.
It also has two 5,000 hp or 3,700 kW auxiliary propulsion motor.
USS Tripoli has several defensive weapons systems which include two Rolling Airframe
Missile launchers, two Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile launchers, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts,
and seven twin .50 cal. machine guns.
The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile also known as RAM is a small, lightweight, infrared
homing surface-to-air missile used primarily as a point-defense weapon against anti-ship
cruise missiles.
The missile is so named because it rolls around its longitudinal axis to stabilize its flight
path, much like a bullet fired from a rifled barrel.
It has a range of 9 km or 5.6 mi and speed of Mach 2.
RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is a U.S. ship-borne short-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon system,
primarily intended for defense against anti-ship missiles.
It uses semi-active radar homing for guidance.
The missile has an operational range of 10 nmi or 19 km and speed in excess of Mach 2.5.
The Phalanx weapon system is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled, radar-guided gun that
can defeat anti-ship missiles and other close-in threats on land and at sea.
It is a last-ditch defensive weapon and is designed to defeat anti-ship missiles and
“close-in” threats that have pierced other lines of defense.
It has a range of 2.2 mi or 3.5 km and has a rate of fire of 4,500 rounds/minute.
The machines guns are made available to defend against threats like small boats.
USS Tripoli is the second ship of the America-class, which in turn is a derivative of the Wasp-class
amphibious assault ship.
The Wasp-class ships were fitted with both an aircraft carrier-like full-length flight
deck, island bridge, and hangar to support the aircraft that would shuttle U.S. Marines
from ship to shore.
The ships also included a floodable bay and large parking area to ferry Marine armored
and logistics vehicles—including 60-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks—to the beach.
USS America, and the subsequent USS Tripoli, are a bit different.
The two ships removed the ability to land Marines by sea, instead increased the ship’s
hangar space, aviation support services, and the amount of aircraft fuel and munitions
the ship can carry.
This allows it to carry more MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor assault transports, CH-53E Sea Stallion
heavy-lift helicopters, UH-1Y Huey armed utility choppers, and AH-1Z Cobra gunships.
Tripoli is also the first amphibious assault ship to be capable of operating the F-35B
out of the box.
OSD statement reads, “The ship is the first LHA replacement ship
to depart the shipyard ready to integrate the entire future air combat element of the
Marine Corps, to include the Joint Strike Fighter.
Tripoli’s design features an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation
maintenance facilities, a significant increase in available stowage for parts and support
equipment, and increased aviation fuel capacity.”
The F-35B is the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 multi-role
fighter made by Lockheed Martin Corp.
As per estimates up to 13 could be accommodated in USS Tripoli which is more than twice as
many as an amphibious ship typically embarks.
The fifth-generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack and air superiority
missions.
It is the first to combine radar-evading stealth technology with supersonic speeds and the
ability to work with carriers.
Its external structure is designed to deflect signals away from the emitting radar which
makes it hard to detect or track.
Also, it has a coating of RAM (Radar Absorbing Material) that reduces the number of signals
getting reflected.
The US Navy and Marines can remove most of the Marine tiltrotors and helicopters in an
emergency situation and turn USS Tripoli into a temporary light carrier.
So, technically Tripoli is capable of acting as an ad hoc aircraft carrier adding a lot
of flexibility.
It is interesting to note that unlike USS Tripoli other ships in the Wasp and America
classes will need to undergo a $250 million refit to allow them to operate the stealth jets.
Nimitz class carriers have been the face of the US Navy and have enabled power projection
far off from the US homeland.
USS Nimitz, the lead ship of Nimitz class was commissioned in 1975.
The Nimitz class has been able to accommodate many new technologies over the decades, but
the Nimitz design has now reached its threshold and this is where Ford-class comes in.
Ford-class supercarriers are being built to replace some of the United States Navy’s
existing Nimitz-class carriers.
The first ship of this class is Gerald R. Ford, USS John F. Kennedy is the second one.
The U.S was far ahead when it comes to deploying supercarriers and will continue to remain
so.
But smaller flattops have their own importance as they could come in handy in theaters of
battle where a supercarrier is not immediately available.
The availability of F-35Bs will provide USS Tripoli with unique capability since main
rivals of the U.S like China & Russia are yet to deploy a full functional stealth jet
let alone operating one from a carrier.