Austin-class amphibious transport dock

Since 1965

Fully loaded 16,914 ts

173.7 meters

25.2 meters

7.0 meters

24 officers, 396 teams, up to 900 Marines

Two boilers, two turbines; to two propellers, 24,000 shaft horsepower

21 knots

2 machine guns, eight machine guns, two Phalanx CIWS

The Austin - class is a class of Amphibious Transport Docks of the United States Navy. The units serve the amphibious warfare.

History

The Austin class is an extended version of their previous Raleigh- class. The first unit was ordered in 1961 and put into service in 1965. In just six years, eleven other ships of the class were completed following. The high speed of construction was achieved through the distribution of orders to three yards. Three units were built at the New York Naval Shipyard, at Ingalls Shipbuilding two and the remaining seven at the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company. A planned sixteenth unit was not built, the funds were instead spent on the development of the Tarawa class.

The USS Coronado (LPD -11) class was withdrawn in 1980 and rebuilt to serve as a command ship for the support amphibious landings of their services as dock ship. In 2005, the first unit of the class was made after about 40 years of service out of service in 2006 was followed by another, then in 2007 two units. 2008 and 2009 was provided per a ship of the class decommissioned, in 2011 two more. The USS Denver (LPD -9) is the only one still in service ship of the class and the oldest active ship in the U.S. Navy (as of 2013). No later than 2015, the class will be completely out of service. Be Replaces the ships of the Austin - class by the San Antonio class.

Technology

Hull and drive

The hull is about 174 meters long and 25 meters wide. The ships displace about 17,000 tons standard. The front half is occupied by the deckhouse, the rear with a helicopter landing deck. There you will find up to six CH -46 Sea Knight place. In the body there is a 51 meter long corrugated deck, behind only 70 meters of warehouse space.

The drive consists of two steam boilers that drive two geared turbines. Each of these drives a screw, the performance of the drive system is 24,000 shaft horsepower. The ships have a maximum speed of 21 knots.

Arming

As a defense of hose and speedboats, each unit has two machine guns of the type Mk 38 and eight machine guns Browning M2 of the type with a .50 caliber. For the defense of approaching missiles, two short-range defense systems of the type Phalanx CIWS installed.