A Closer Look at the Navy’s Newest Warship

Launched on August 4, 1987 and commissioned for the first time on July 29, 1989, the Wasp serves as the flagship of the United States Second Fleet. Its motto is “Honor, Tradition, Excellence.”

While to the untrained eye the USS America LHA-6 may look like an aircraft carrier, it’s actually designated as an amphibious assault ship – the first in its eponymous America-class fleet. But while it’s designated as an amphibious assault ship, this doesn’t mean the ship itself is capable of amphibious maneuvering. Rather, it’s used as a launching station for amphibious forces; it carries both aircraft and amphibious vessels within its hull, which allow for complex sea-to-shore operations.

The second vessel of the Zumwalt-class, the USS Michael Monsoor DDG-1001 was launched on June 21, 2016 and its planned commissioning will take place in 2018. The ship is designed for high-intensity attacks near the shore and advanced land attacks.

The motto of the Michael Monsoor is “I Will Defend,” and it sure seems to be built for that function with its Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile system and its ability to launch vertical Tomahawk missiles. The ship displaces 14,564 tons and measures 600 feet (182.9 meters) long.

The USS George H. W. Bush, named after the 41st president of the United States of America, who served as a naval aviator during the Second World War, is the 10th – and final – Nimitz-class supercarrier.

 

With its home port in Norfolk, Va., the George H. W. Bush has been deployed all over the world’s oceans. The giant ship displaces 102,000 long tons of water and has an overall length of 1,092 feet (332.8 meters).

Naval submarines often travel to remote destinations for extended periods of time, on covert missions that require secrecy and silence. So, when something goes wrong in a submersible, they don’t always have the luxury of being able to return to their home port to get it fixed.

This is where the U.S Navy’s lead submarine tender, the USS Emory S. Land AS-39, comes in.

The ship, whose crew complement is similar to that of a small town, has spare parts and a manufacturing plant with over 50 specialized shops – but it’s not just submarine hardware that the Emory S. Land tends to. In addition to manufacturing services and supplies like water and food, the ship also provides legal and medical services, dental care, mail, and anything else submarine crews may require.

Also known as the SSN-774, the Virginia-class attack submarine is a nuclear-powered submarine built for quick attacks in coastal waters and across international waters. The Virginia-class submarines have replaced the older Los Angeles-class submarines and are classified as a less expensive version of the Seawolf-class attack submarines.

The U.S. Navy anticipates that this class of attack submarines will remain in service well after 2060. Currently, there are 14 of these vessels in service, and a total of 48 are planned to enter service over the next few years. This underwater vessel stores Tomahawk tubes, torpedoes and missiles, and it contains several technological advances that previous U.S. submarines didn’t have, such as photonics sensors, modular masts, rescue equipment, and a payload module.

One of the U.S, Navy’s most important strategic roles is expressed through its attack submarine fleet – and for many years, the beating heart of that fleet was comprised of the Los Angeles-class attack submarines. Heading them was the USS Los Angeles, which was launched from the Southern Californian city it was named after on April 6, 1974 – and remained in service until February 4, 2011, by which time it was the oldest submarine in service. Since then, it has been recycled, but its legacy lives on.

For conducting minesweeping operations to clear mines out of strategic waterways, the U.S. Navy has a dedicated fleet of 14 Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships. One of them, the USS Chief MCM-14, was launched on June 12, 1993 and forms part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The structure of the Chief consists of wood with a layer of plastic reinforced by glass. These unusual materials act as a buffer against mine blasts, as well as moderate the ship’s magnetic signature, making it less likely to trigger mines it sails close to. Its home port is in Sasebo, Japan.

Currently, the U.S. Navy has nearly 20 Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarines serving in its ranks – but back in 1979, the USS Ohio was the first and only one.

With an entire class of submarines named after it, the Ohio is known as the “first and finest” in the fleet. Its motto, too, stresses its pioneering spirit, reading “Always First,” and it stands by it. The Ohio was one of the first Ohio-class submersibles to be converted from an SSBN ballistic missile submarine to an SSGN guided missile submarine, ushering the fleet into the 21st century.

Before it was decommissioned in 2015, the USS Peleliu was one of the amphibious assault ships in the Tarawa-class series. The ship was supposed to be called the USS Khe Sanh or the USS Da Nang, after the famous battles in the Vietnam war, but was eventually named after the Battle of Peleliu, which took place in World War II.

The Peleliu entered service in 1980, and soon earned the nicknames the ‘Iron Nickel’ and ‘The Fighting Five’ due to the many evacuation and rescue missions it carried out. During the Peleliu‘s active service, its motto was “Pax per Potens,” which means “Peace through Power.”

The USS Arleigh Burke is the first of the Arleigh Burke-class series of guided missile destroyers. The ship was launched on September 16, 1989 and commissioned on July 4, 1991. Perhaps its best-known feature is its advanced stealth technology, which helps it evade any anti-ship missiles.

 

The USS Arleigh Burke uses a slightly relegated version of the AEGIS combat system which has the technology to trace, evade, and launch missiles all in one. The motto of this guided missile destroyer is “Fast and Feared” – as it indeed is, at least by its enemies!

Launched on May 5, 1958, the USS Turner Joy DD-951 was one of 18 U.S. Navy Forest Sherman-class destroyers. The vessel was named after Vice Admiral Charles Turner Joy, who served the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

Turner Joy spent the entirety of its service in the Pacific Ocean, where it was extensively involved in the Vietnam War and one of the main ships during the USS Maddox Incident, otherwise known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.

 

It was finally decommissioned in 1982.

The Ohio-class of nuclear-powered submarines is divided into two subgroups; one, comprised of 14 submarines capable of launching ballistic missile, and the other, comprised of four vessels that have been upgraded with guided missile launching capabilities.

Ohio-class submarines can launch intercontinental missiles undetected, making them an important, strategic asset with outstanding stealth capabilities, which are often used in top-secret operations.

In the 1960s, the U.S. Navy launched three environmental research ships to be used as intelligence spy ships called the Banner-class series. The class consisted of the Banner, Pueblo, and Palm Beach. The North Koreans captured the USS Pueblo after they attacked it during the Pueblo Crisis on January 23, 1968.

There were 83 people on board the Pueblo when it was captured. The ensuing violence, which lead to one death, only served to exacerbate Cold War tensions. The ship is still held in North Korea today as a museum ship, but it is still classified as active and in service by the U.S. Navy.

Independence-class ships look more like spaceships than boats. These next-generation warships were designed with speed and maneuverability in mind, in order to patrol and function in what’s known as the littoral zone – that is, relatively shallow, close-to-shore waters.

The USS Independence, pictured here, and after which the ship class was named, was first commissioned in 2009. It can function with a very small crew, and carry out a variety of tasks, including submarine hunting, minesweeping and carrying small aircraft.

 

 

The ship’s trimaran design allows it to reduce water drag significantly, and its outer hull makes it difficult to spot. Could this be the ship of the future? It seems that someone in the Navy thinks so, because more than 10 new Independence class ships have been ordered in recent years.

The USS Kidd, named after Read Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who served aboard the USS Arizona and was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II, seems to have a penchant for making headlines.

 

The Kidd, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, has been seen on screens across the world and in the media several times throughout its service. The ship was involved in the search for Malaysa Airlines Flight 370 in the South China Sea in 2014 – but movie lovers might recognize it from its appearance in the film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

The USS Samuel B. Roberts has earned the name “the destroyer escort that fought like a battleship” thanks to its heroic performance in the Battle of Leyte Gulf off the island of Samaron October 25, 1944. While the Samuel B. Roberts was eventually sunk by Japanese enemy warships, it didn’t go without a fight and helped tip the scales of the battle.

Advertisement

Launched on January 20, 1944, the ship received its name after Samuel Booker Roberts, Jr., who received the Navy Cross for voluntarily navigating a landing craft towards enemy flotillas while other vessels were undertaking evacuation efforts in 1942.

This USS Santa Fe SSN-763 is one of 30 Los Angeles-class submarines. Launched on December 12, 1992 and commissioned on January 8, 1994, this submarine can fire Tomahawk land missiles and Harpoon anti-surface ship missiles. It also holds 10 Mk48 ADCAP torpedo reloads.

The Santa Fe was first deployed to the western Pacific Ocean and Persian Gulf in 1997. It displaces 6,927 tons when full and measures 361 feet and 11 inches (110.3 meters) lengthwise. Much like its sister ships, the Santa Fe is an important part of the American naval arsenal, and between the years of 2000 and 2006, the took home five naval awards.

The USS Midway was launched on March 20, 1945, and commissioned just one week after World War II ended. Up until 1955, it was the largest ship in the world – so large, in fact, that at the time, it was incapable of crossing the Panama Canal.

The Midway served for 47 years, and was decommissioned on April 11, 1992.

Today, it serves as a museum ship in San Diego, California, where the public can come marvel at its impressive engineering and learn about its rich military history.

In 1992, the U.S. Navy launched a new generation of coastal patrol ships, trusted with safeguarding its shores, headed by the Cyclone-class vessels. The third of its kind, the USS Hurricane,, launched on June 6, 1992.

Thanks to its small size, the Hurricane allows for swift movement, and its auto grenade launchers and machine guns are fixed in place in case of any foreign incursion. Nicknamed ‘The Hurt and Pain,’ the Hurricane‘s home port is located in Manama, Bahrain, though it docked at several cities around the Great Lakes to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.

The largest and the most futuristic destroyer to date, the USS Zumwalt DDG-1000 is the first of its kind, with the Zumwalt-class named after it. Designed for naval gunfire support and anti-aircraft weaponry warfare, it’s 600 feet long, displaces 14,564 long tons of water and was estimated to cost between $3.5 billion and $4.4 billion.

 

With its home port in San Diego, California, the Zumwalt was launched in October 2013 and commissioned on October 15, 2016. This class of ships function as multi-session-capability vessels. Previous destroyer classes were tasked only with deep-water combat missions, but the Zumwalt-class can also supports ground forces in land attacks with its ability to hit targets as far as 83 miles (114 kilometers) away.

The USS Lewis B. Puller ESB-3 was the first Expeditionary Mobile Base in the U.S. Navy, previously known as a Mobile Landing Platform as well as an Afloat Forward Staging Base. The Lewis B. Puller replaced the USS Ponce AFSB in 2017 as part of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf.

 

The Lewis B. Puller was launched on November 6, 2014 and commissioned in Bahrain on August 17, 2017 when its prefix was changed from USNS to USS. The vessel is tasked with several low-intensity duties involving Expeditionary Sea Bases so that more expensive surface combatant warships can deal with important missions.

The USS Chinook PC-9 is another U.S. Navy’s Cyclone-class patrol ship that guards U.S. coastlines. Launched on February 26, 1994 and commissioned on January 28, 1995, the Chinook displaces 331 tons and measures 174 feet (53 meters) lengthwise.

The Chinook holds six Stinger missiles, two Mk38 chain guns, two 0.50 (12.7 millimeters) machines guns, and two Mk19 grenade launchers. The ships have also been awarded seven maritime awards since their commission. Read on to find out about more impressive ships.

The U.S. Navy built several amphibious transport dock classes. The USS Ponce LPD-15 forms part of the Austin-class which was preceded by the Raleigh-class and succeeded by the San Antonio-class dock ships, otherwise known as floating forward station bases.

Despite attempts to decommission the Ponce in recent years, it remained in active service until 2017, after a 48-year run. It spent much of its time along the east Coast of the U.S., but was also deployed during Operation Desert Shield in 2006 and U.S. missions during the first Libyan Civil War in 2011.

For large water invasions, the U.S. Navy invested in large amphibious command ships – and one of the series is called the Blue Ridge-class. The leader of this class is the USS Blue Ridge LCC-19 which is commanded by the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

The Blue Ridge‘s main function is to provide support to the command, control, intelligence, and computers of the staff and commander of the US seventh fleet. The vessel was named after the Blue Ridge Mountain range in the eastern Appalachian Mountains, and its home port is currently in Yokosuka, Japan.

The USS Gerald Ford has yet to see any action – it’s expected to be deployed only sometime around 2022 – but it’s already made history.

One of the largest naval ships ever built in human history, it’s not just its sheer size that makes it such an important vessle – it’s the cutting edge technology that’s hidden inside of it, too, with two A1B nuclear reactors, four anti-aircraft missiles, an electromagnetic launch system for aircraft, and a RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile system.

Still, its size is nothing to be scoffed at, either. The ship displaces 100,000 long tons of water, and reaches an astounding length of 1,106 feet (337 meters), housing a crew of thousands.

But while the Gerald R. Ford may be a behemoth, it’s not quite the largest ship to ever serve in the U.S. Navy. That ship is yet to come, so read on!

Built for the U.S. Navy, the USS Tripoli LHA-7, a second America-class amphibious assault ship, was launched on May 1, 2017, but it wasn’t commissioned until July 15, 2020. That’s because there were lots of delays due to the pandemic after some of the sailors assigned to the ship tested positive for the virus and they all needed to be moved off of the ship for preventative measures.

The Tripoli is 844 feet long and displaces 45,693 tons. It holds two rolling airframe missile launchers, two evolved sea sparrow missile launches, two 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts, seven twin .50 BMG machine guns, an AV-8B Harrier II, an MV-22B Osprey, an F-35B Lightning II, a CH-53K King Stallion, a UH-1Y Venom, an AH-1Z Viper, and an MH-60S Knighthawk.

Did you know there are six ships named after Charleston? Well, they’re named after the oldest and largest city in South Carolina. The USS Charleston LCS-18 is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the U.S. Navy and it was launched on September 14, 2017, and commissioned on March 2, 2019.

The USS Charleston launches LCS-18 displaces 2,307 metric tons light, 3,104 metric tons full, and 797 metric tons deadweight. Measuring at 418 feet lengthwise, it holds a BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun, four .50 cal guns, an Evolved SeaRAM 11 cell missile launcher, mission modules, two MH-60R/S Seahawks, and an MQ-8 Fire Scout.

Named to honor the former U.S. senator of Hawaii who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II, the USS Daniel Inouye is the third of eight planned Flight IIA “technology insertion” ships, which has elements of the Flight III ships. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer ship of the U.S. Navy was launched on October 27, 2019, and commissioned on December 8, 2021.

The USS Daniel Inouye is 513 feet lengthwise and displaces 9,200 long tons. The ship holds one 5 inch 54 caliber Mk 45 naval gun, two 25 mm Mk 38 Autocannons, four .50 cal machine guns, one 30 mm Phalanx CIWS, two Mk 32 torpedo tubes for Mk 46 torpedo, a 96-cell Mk VLS, and two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters.

Another ship named for a city in the U.S., the USS Mobile LCS-26, is named after Mobile, Alabama. She’s also the fifth ship to have the name and she was even built in her namesake. Launched on January 11, 2020, and commissioned on May 22, 2021, the USS Mobile displaces 2,307 metric tons light, 3,104 metric tons full, and 797 metric tons deadweight and is 418 feet lengthwise.

The armament the ship holds includes a BAE System Mk 110 57 mm gun, four .50 cal guns, guns, an Evolved SeaRam 11 cell missile launches, and mission modules. It also holds two MH-60R/S Seahawks and an MQ-8 Fire Scout.

The third ship to be named after the city of Oakland, California, the USS Oakland LCS-24 is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the U.S. Navy. Launched on July 21, 2019, and commissioned on April 17, 2021, the USS Oakland displaces 2,307 metric tons light, 3,104 metric tons full, and 797 metric tons deadweight and is 418 feet lengthwise.

The ship holds a BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun, four .50 cal guns, an Evolved SeaRam 11 cell missile launcher, mission modules, two MH-60R/S Seahawks, and a MQ-8 Fire Scout.

Named in honor of Master Chief Petty Officer Delbert Black, the first Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPON) of the Navy, who passed in 2000, the ship naming came after a decade of advocating by MCPONs to honor him with a combatant ship. The USS Delbert D. Black, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the U.S. Navy, was launched on September 8, 2017, and commissioned on September 26, 2000. It displaces 9,200 long tons and is 513 feet lengthwise.

The USS Delbert D. Black holds one 5 inch 54 caliber Mk 45 naval gun, two 25 mm Mk Autocannons, four .50 cal machine guns, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, two MK 32 triple torpedo tubes for Mk 46 torpedo, 96-cell Mk 41 VLS, and two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters.

The seventh ship in the U.S. Navy named after St. Louis, Missouri, the USS St. Louis LCS-19 was launched on December 18, 2018, and commissioned on August 8, 2020. The Freedom-class littoral combat ship displaces 3,500 metric tons and comes in at 378.3 feet lengthwise.

The USS St. Louis holds a BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun, a RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, a Honeywell MK 50 Torpedo, a NETFIRES PAM missile in the ASuW module, two .50 cal guns, two MH-60R/S Seahawks, and a MQ-8 Fire Scout.

The USS Kansas City LCS-22, an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the U.S. Navy, is the third ship named after the largest city in Missouri. The ship, which launched on October 19, 2018, and was commissioned on June 20, 2020, displaces 2,307 metric tons light, 3,104 metric tons full, 797 metric tons deadweight, and is 418 feet lengthwise.

The armament the ship carries includes a BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun, four .50 cal guns, an Evolved SeaRam 11 cell missile launches, mission modules. In regards to aircraft, the ship holds two MH-60R/S Seahawks and an MQ-8 Fire Scout.

This Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine in the U.S. Navy is the third vessel of the Navy to be named after the state of Vermont. The USS Vermont SSN-792 had a very special launching on October 20, 2018, before it was commissioned on April 18, 2020—it was christened with a bottle of Vermont sparkling apple wine.

The ship, which is 7,800 tons and 377 feet lengthwise, can remain submerged indefinitely as long as it’s maintained and there’s food. It holds 12 VLS tubes, four 21 inch torpedo tubes for MK-48 torpedoes, and a BGM-109 Tomahawk.

This USS Delaware SSN-791 is a history-making ship—it’s the first-ever U.S. ship commissioned underwater. The ship was launched on December 14, 2018, and the standard commissioning ceremony was canceled due to the pandemic and took place instead underwater on April 4, 2020.

The Virginia-class attack submarine displaces 7800 tons and it’s 377 feet long and 33 feet wide. She’s propelled by nuclear power and has a single semi-pump jet-style propulsor unit.

USS Paul Ignatius DDG-117, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the U.S. Navy is named after U.S. Secretary of the Navy Paul Ignatius, who was previously a commissioned lieutenant in the Navy during World War II. It’s the second of eight planned Flight IIA “technology insertion ships, which has elements of Flight III ships.

Launched on November 12, 2016 and commissioned on July 27, 2019, the USS Paul Ignatius displaces 9,200 long tons and is 510 feet long. It holds one 5 inch 54 caliber Mk 45 naval gun, two 25 mm Mk 38 Autocannons, four .50 cal machine guns, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, two MK 32 triple torpedo tubes for Mk 46 torpedo, a 96-cell Mk VLS, and two SH-60 Seahawk.

The third ship to be named for Tulsa, the second-largest city in Oklahoma, the USS Tulsa LCS-16 launched on March 16, 2017 and was commissioned on February 16, 2019.

The Independence-class littoral combat ship, which has a motto of “Tough, Able, Ready”, holds a BAW Systems Mk 110 57 gun, four .50 cal guns, an Evolved SeaRam 11 cell missile launcher, mission modules, two MH-60R/S Seahawks, and an MQ-8 Fire Scout.

The USS Wichita LCS-13 is the third ship named after the largest city in Kansas and the Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the U.S. Navy has many cool design features including Wichita elements on the naval crest, a bison skull, and feathers to represent the native American heritage, and wheat to reflect Kansas’s main crop. The ship was launched on September 17, 2016, and commissioned on January 12, 2019.

The USS Wichita is deployed to the U.S. 4th fleet of operations to support Joint Interagency Task Force South’s mission, which includes countering illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. It displaces 3,500 metric tons and is 378.3 feet in length. It holds a BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun, RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, a Honeywall Mark 50 torpedo, four .50 cal guns, one MH-60R/S Seahawks, and a 2MQ-8 Fire Scout.

Named in honor of U.S. naval aviator Thomas Hudner, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action in the Korean War, this ship launched on April 23, 2017, and was commissioned on December 1, 2018. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer displaces 9,217 tons and is 513 feet in length.

The USS Thomas Hudner holds a 5 inch 62 caliber Mk45 naval gun, two 25 mm Mk 30 Autocannons, four .50 cal machine guns, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, two Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes for Mk 46 torpedo, 96-cell mK 41 VLS, and two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters.

The USS Sioux City LCS-11 is the first ship named after Sioux City in Iowa and the Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the U.S. Navy has automated sensors for maintenance that reduce crew overwork and fatigue issues. How cool is that?

The ship, which was launched on January 30, 2016, and commissioned on November 17, 2018, displaces 3,500 metric tons and is 378.3 feet in length. She holds a BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun, RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, a Honeywell Mk 50 Torpedo, a NETFIRES PAM missile, two .50 cal guns, two MH-60R/S Seahawks, and an MQ-8 Fire Scout.

Everything about the USS Indiana SSN-789 screams Indiana. The nuclear-powered U.S. Navy Virginia-class attack submarine has a gold torch and stars, which are symbols of the State Flag of Indiana. The torch represents liberty and enlightenment and the stars and the torch signify each state that joined the Union prior to Indiana.

There’s also “The USS INDIANA” banner and the finish line racing flag, which are tributes to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Car racing heritage. And that’s not even all of the symbols!

The USS Indiana was launched on June 9, 2017, and commissioned on September 29, 2018 and it displaces 7800 tons and is 377 feet in length.