European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The Wasp appears at first glance to be a Small boxy aircraft Carrier but it packs a Collar on of capabilities that no other Navy warship has. Wasp strike will be unexpected by Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau just like the surprising sting of a Wasp to an unsuspecting victim the multipurpose amphibious assault ship Wasp can launch a Beach attack with no hint of its intended target. Other amphibious ships must move close to Shore to deliver the troops vehicles weapons and supplies that constitute an amphibious Landing Force. Such tactics limit the element of Surprise. But Wasp can sit Well Over the horizon launching and controlling an assault of marines tanks helicopters and attack jets while never coming closer than 50 Miles to the Shore Quot the Beauty of amphibious task Force is that it keeps the enemy guessing where its going to land and when Quot said Navy capt. Morton w. Kenyon commander of amphibious so 4. At a glance the Wasp appears to be a Small boxy aircraft Carrier. But it is really a combination of capabilities that no other warship in the Navy a inventory packs commissioned in 1989, Wasp is the first of a class that eventually will include three or four More ships. It has a Large flight deck like a Carrier Many of the medical facilities of a Hospital ship the communications facilities of a command ship and a Well deck for launching Landing Craft similar to a More traditional amphibious vessel the 3,200 sailors and marines on Board will be kept Busy discovering All it can do for much longer than their current Mediterranean deployment the ship left its Home port of Norfolk va., on june 20 and is slated to return dec. 20. Quot we re learning every Day Quot Kenyon said a we be just begun to tap it s  Wasp is the first ship designed from the keel up to support av-8b harriers the Marine corps vertical Takeoff jets and the Navy s air Cushion Landing Craft known to sailors As cacs As Well As helicopters and conventional Landing Craft. Those capabilities and others make Wasp Well suited for missions in peace As Well As War Kenyon said. Quot sea control involves establishing a presence to permit your use of an area of Ocean and deny it to others Quot Kenyon said. For example Quot Wasp could deny use of an area to drug  evacuating civilians from areas experiencing civil strife or natural disasters is another possible use. Other amphibious ships have recently rescued people from Liberia and Somalia Kenyon said. But Over the horizon is where the Navy and Marine corps intend Wasp to be a out of an enemy s View. To command an amphibious task Force from such a distance Wasp is equipped with communications data and sensor systems that Are among the most sophisticated on any Navy ship. Computers translate radar contacts into symbols representing the surface and air situation presented on twin big screen video systems in the combat information Center. The screens show All surface contacts within 32 Miles of the ship and air contacts within 250 Miles. Wasp can Exchange such information with other ships and aircraft equipped with tactical data Transfer systems. Quot the radar suite Here is almost comparable to that at an Airport ashore Quot said chief Petty officer Shannon Thomas an air traffic controller. With those radars Thomas and his fellow controllers direct fixed Wing military aircraft flying in the amphibious operating area whether those planes Are from the Wasp a Carrier or land based. Most elements of an amphibious assault launched from Wasp by sea would Quot Fly Quot ashore on cacs. The crafts can skim Over the water at More than 50 Mph while carrying up to 60-ton payloads everything from tanks and howitzers to jeeps and trucks. Wasps cavernous Well deck can hold three cacs which enter and leave the ship from an aft Gate nearly As wide As the ship itself. In addition to carrying equipment to Shore cacs can travel Over land and Clear objects up to Lour Leet High. Four 4,000-horsepower Gas Turbine engines Power the Landing Craft but very Little of their noise precedes them a harrier jump Jet lands Ilka a helicopter on the Wasp s flight deck. State of the Art shipbuilding the Wasp is not Only one of the most sophisticated warships in the world it also is the product of stale of the Art shipbuilding techniques much of its design was adapted from the earlier Tarawa class of general purpose amphibious assault ships. Ingalls shipbuilding of Pascagoula miss built the five ships of that class Between 1976 and 1980 for the Wasp Ingalls used computer generated design drawings and pro outfitted modular construction. These techniques were used in building several previous classes of ships and refined for construction of the Wasp shipyard workers installed plumbing ventilation ducts wiring and other hardware in smaller sub assemblies which were built upside Down the sub assemblies position made it easier for workers to install hardware which would eventually be in the ships ceilings and gave workers easy Access to areas deep within the comp cled vessel s Hull. The sub assemblies were combined with assemblies which in turn formed four Hull modules in which machinery such As propulsion systems and generators were installed the Hull modules and one superstructure module were joined together on land and rolled on a rail Transfer system to the shipyard s floating dry Dock including the ship Cradle assemblies holding it and other equipment the Load of More than 29,000 tons Sot a world record for a manmade Structure moved across land Wasp s construction involved More than 21.000 ions of steel 400 tons of aluminium 400 Miles of electrical and electronic Cable and 80 Miles of tubing and piping. The ship s two main propulsion plants Are the largest in operation in the . Navy. Combined they can produce 70,000 horsepower to propel the Wasp to speeds in excess of 20 knots. If the Energy of the ships two boilers was converted to electricity it could Supply a Community of 160,000 the ships air conditioning system could Cool a 32-Story  Miller sailors and marines exercise on the flight deck of the Wasp which also has a Large gym. A Quality that makes them even More valuable for Surprise amphibious landings Kenyon said. Cacs operate Best from a dry Well deck while traditional Landing Craft require an area that is flooded. Wasp also is equipped with ballast tanks that enable the ship to sink several feet and flood the Well deck. Up two ramps from the Well deck past marines vehicles tanks and artillery is the ships hangar deck the area used for storing and repairing jets and helps. The Lac uses so Many aviation components that having an aircraft intermediate maintenance department on Wasp is a big advantage Quot said senior chief Petty officer Wayne Sprague the Man in charge of maintaining Wasp s cacs. Quot if we run into problems we Don t have the gear for we can work with the aviation people because their gear is so similar to ours Quot Sprague said. Page 14 Wasp can accommodate As Many As 42 aircraft including up to 20 harriers. The jump jets use a Long stretch of wasps 819-foot flight deck for running takeoffs which consume far less fuel than taking off vertically in helicopter fashion. Quot it s a new deck and has More room Quot said Marine capt. Dan Christopher a harrier Pilot Quot the learning curve is still a Factor but a lot of the Crew is experienced so operations have been real smooth. Quot maj. Randy siders commander of the harrier detachment said the Wasp has More parking space More ammunition build up space and a better elevator design. Quot the Bottom line is More flexibility in operations Over other amphibious ships Quot siders said. The harriers primary Mission during amphibious continued on Page 16 Petty officer 2nd class Frank ill lard checks gauge readings in an engineering space. The stars and stripes wednesday december 4, 1991 a amps photos by Gary Miller the stars and stripes a Page 15