USS Tripoli underway on 15 July 2019
History
United States
NameTripoli
NamesakeBattle of Derne
Awarded31 May 2012[1]
BuilderHuntington Ingalls Industries
Laid down20 June 2014[2]
Launched1 May 2017[3]
Sponsored byLynne Mabus[4]
Christened16 September 2017
Acquired28 February 2020[5]
Commissioned15 July 2020[6]
HomeportSan Diego
Identification
Motto
  • In ære terram marique
  • (In the Air, on Land, and Sea)
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeAmerica-class amphibious assault ship
Displacement44,971 long tons (45,693 t)
Length844 ft (257 m)
Beam106 ft (32 m)
Draft26 ft (7.9 m) (7.9 meters)
PropulsionTwo marine gas turbines, two shafts, 70,000 bhp (52,000 kW), two 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) auxiliary propulsion motors.
Speed22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)+
Complement
  • 102 officers, 1,102 enlisted
  • 1,687 marines (plus 184 surge)
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried

USS Tripoli (LHA-7) is the second America-class amphibious assault ship built for the United States Navy. On 7 May 2012, United States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship's name as Tripoli, in honor of the US Marine Corps victory against Tripoli at the Battle of Derna during the First Barbary War.[8][9] This is the third US Naval ship to carry the name, the first being USS Tripoli (CVE-64), an escort carrier from World War II and the second being USS Tripoli (LPH-10), an amphibious assault ship that served during the Cold War.

Design and construction

The design of Tripoli is based on USS Makin Island, which is itself an improved version of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. Approximately 45% of the Flight 0 design is based on LHD-8, with the well deck removed to allow more room for aircraft and aviation fuel.[10] The removal of the well deck for landing craft allows for an extended hangar deck with two significantly wider high bay areas, each fitted with an overhead crane for aircraft maintenance.

Other enhancements include a reconfigurable command and control complex, an on-board hospital, and numerous aviation support spaces.[11] The design of Tripoli features an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation maintenance facilities, and a significant increase in her available stowage for parts and support equipment. She was intended to be the first LHA replacement ship to deliver fully ready to integrate the entire future air combat element of the U.S. Marine Corps to include the F-35B Lightning II, but construction delays have pushed final F-35 capability installs until delivery.[2][4]

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.[2] Tripoli was launched on 1 May and later christened on 16 September 2017, with Lynne Mabus, wife of former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, as her sponsor.[4]

By 2019, Tripoli was about a year behind production schedules.[12] The ship was delivered to the Navy on 28 February 2020.[5]

Covid pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, on 17 April 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported that Navy officials had stated that at least 9 sailors assigned to the ship had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.[13] At the time, the ship was docked in Pascagoula.[5][lower-alpha 1] About 630 sailors were moved off the ship as a preventative measure, which resulted in the outbreak spreading to only "around a couple dozen sailors".[14] As a result of the pandemic, the ship's public commissioning ceremony originally planned to occur at NAS Pensacola in June was also cancelled. Subsequently, Tripoli was commissioned on 15 July 2020 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the ship was built.[15]

Ship's history

In September 2020, Tripoli completed a homeport shift from Pascagoula, Mississippi to San Diego, California.[16]

On 2 May 2022, Tripoli departed Naval Station San Diego for the Western Pacific Ocean on her maiden deployment, taking on 20 F-35Bs at one point in a test of the "lightning carrier" concept.[17][18] On 25 July 2022, she transitioned to an amphibious ready role by embarking the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit at Naval Base Okinawa, Japan, before transiting the South China Sea to make a port call at Singapore's Changi Naval Base on 31 Aug 2022.[19] She returned to San Diego on 29 November 2022.[20]

Awards

  • Admiral James Flatley Memorial Award for Naval Aviation Safety - (2022)[21]

Etymology

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.[22] Fallujah, after the Second Battle of Fallujah, was suggested as a name but was ultimately not chosen.[23] This name was given to another America-class ship, LHA-9.[24]

Notes

  1. ↑ It is unclear whether the sailors had tested positive before or after delivery of the ship, with one source stating that "the ship was set to be delivered ... and hundreds of sailors moved aboard in mid-March".[5][14]

References

  1. ↑ "Tripoli (LHA 7)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Future USS Tripoli (LHA 7) Keel Authenticated" (Press release). United States Navy. 21 June 2014. NNS140621-05. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Future USS Tripoli Launched Following Translation" (Press release). United States Navy. 2 May 2017. NNS170502-46. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Navy to Christen Amphibious Assault Ship Tripoli" (Press release). Navy News Service. 14 September 2017. NNS170914-17. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Tripoli" (Press release). United States Navy. 28 February 2020. NNS200228-09. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ship USS Tripoli Joins the Fleet" (Press release). United States Navy. 15 July 2020. NNS200715-06. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  7. 1 2 LHA 6 (formerly LHA(R)) New Amphibious Assault Ship (PDF) (Report). United States Navy. 2008.
  8. ↑ "SECNAV Announces USS Tripoli as Name for Next LHA 7". navaltoday.com. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress" (PDF). fas.org. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs (Report). Washington, D.C.: Government Accountability Office. 30 March 2009. GAO-09-326SP. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs (30 June 2008). "Navy Names New Amphibious Assault Ship" (Press release). United States Navy. NNS080630-13.
  12. ↑ Werner, Ben (1 August 2019). "Amphibious Assault Ship Tripoli's Delivery Pushed To Late 2019 or Early 2020". USNI News. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Youssef, Nancy A. (17 April 2020). "Aircraft Carrier Outbreak Spread At First Without Symptoms, Officials Say". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  14. 1 2 Dyer, Matthew (2 May 2020). "How coronavirus outbreaks on four other ships informed response on USS Kidd". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ship USS Tripoli Joins the Fleet". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  16. ↑ Fleet, Commander, Naval Surface Force, U. S. Pacific. "USS Tripoli Arrives in San Diego". www.public.navy.mil. Retrieved 19 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ "USS Tripoli Quietly Leaves on Maiden Deployment". USNI News. 3 May 2022.
  18. ↑ "3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Expeditionary Strike Group 3 demonstrate Lightning carrier conce". United States Marine Corps Flagship.
  19. ↑ "USS Tripoli Arrives in Singapore as Chinese Warships Continue to Operate Near Japan". USNI News. 31 August 2022.
  20. ↑ https://news.usni.org/2022/11/29/uss-tripoli-returns-to-san-diego-after-seven-month-maiden-deployment
  21. ↑ https://www.dvidshub.net/news/454657/tripoli-earns-admiral-flatley-memorial-award-aviation-safety#:~:text=The%20Admiral%20Flatley%20Memorial%20Award%20is%20actually%20two,nuclear-powered%20aircraft%20carrier%20%28CVN%29%20and%20their%20associated%20airwing.
  22. ↑ "Tripoli (LHA-7)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
  23. ↑ "When Will The Battle Of Fallujah Get The Recognition It Deserves?". Task & Purpose. 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  24. ↑ "SECNAV Names Future America-Class Amphibious Assault Ship Fallujah". Naval News. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
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