USS ''America'' (LHA-6) is an

amphibious assault ship An amphibious assault ship is a type of warship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory during an armed conflict. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (which, as a result, ar ...

of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

of the ''America''-class

. The fourth U.S. warship to be named for the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, she was delivered in spring of 2014, replacing of the . Her mission is to act as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

of an expeditionary strike group or

amphibious ready group An amphibious ready group (ARG) of the United States Navy consists of a naval element—a group of warships known as an Amphibious Task Force (ATF)—and a landing force (LF) of U.S. Marines (and occasionally U.S. Army soldiers), in total abo ...

, carrying part of a

Marine expeditionary unit A Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU, pronounced as one syllable "" IPA: ) is the smallest Marine air-ground task force, air-ground task force (MAGTF) in the United States Fleet Marine Force.V-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-use, tiltrotor military transport aircraft, military transport and cargo aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed ...

tilt-rotor aircraft, supported by

F-35B Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic wa ...

aircraft and helicopter gunships.

Design

The design is based on that of , itself an improved version of the . Approximately 45% of the Flight 0 design is based on ''Makin Island'', with the well deck removed to allow more room for aircraft and aviation fuel. 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. These changes were required in order to operate the F-35B and MV-22, which are considerably larger than the aircraft they replace. The typical aircraft complement is expected to be 12

MV-22B The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-use, tiltrotor military transport and cargo aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionalit ...

transports, six

STOVL A short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL aircraft) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is able to take off from a short runway (or take off vertically if it does not have a heavy payload) and land vertically (i.e. with no runway). The ...

F-35B multirole fighter aircraft, four CH-53K heavy transport helicopters, seven AH-1Z/ UH-1Y attack/utility helicopters and two Navy MH-60S for

air-sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...

. The exact makeup of the ship's aircraft complement will vary according to the mission. ''America'' can carry 20 F-35B and 2 MH-60S to serve as a small

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

as demonstrated by LHD operations in

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

. Other enhancements include a re-configurable command and control complex, an on-board hospital, additional aviation fuel capacity and numerous aviation support spaces. ''America'' will be modified in a similar way to the modifications made on to make her better able to withstand the great amounts of heat generated by the F-35B's engine exhaust when taking off or landing vertically. Intercostal structural members will be added underneath flight deck landing spots seven and nine to more closely perform timed cyclic flight operations without overstressing it. Other changes may involve re-adjusting some ship antennas to allow for a clear flight path. The ship will undergo a 40-week modification period where recently installed piping, lighting, and other features will be removed to weld reinforcements underneath the flight deck; the modification period would have been greater if its construction in the shipyard had been interrupted to perform it. Such accommodations will be included in all future ''America''-class ships from the start. The ''America'' class has an increased aviation capacity to include 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. However, the ship's design represents a major departure from past designs and has been the source of considerable controversy, as it lacks the capabilities and multi-role flexibility of traditional amphibious ships, including the ability to launch landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles, such as the AAV-7. Some have even argued that ''America'' represents a "dead end" as an amphibious ship. In fact, the Navy is building only one other ship () to the LHA-6 blueprint. At issue is the focus on aviation capabilities, at the expense of the "well deck", which is the defining feature of the amphibious fleet and allows Marine Corps amphibious operations. The Marine Corps Commandant and the Chief of Naval Operations have signed an official Memorandum of Agreement that restores the well deck to and subsequent ships, while in 2015 the Commandant of the Marine Corps launched an initiative to ensure aviation platforms do not lead to an imbalance in the MAGTF.

Construction and career

The U.S. Navy awarded

Northrop Grumman Corporation Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense company. With 97,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $40 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military technology provi ...

's Ingalls Shipyard Division a $2.4 billion fixed-price incentive contract for the detailed design and construction of LHA-6, primarily at the company's shipyard in

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...

. The production decision was made in January 2006 and construction of LHA-6 began in December 2008.

Navy Secretary The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

Donald C. Winter announced in June 2008 that the ship would be named ''America''. The

keel-laying Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

ceremony was held on 17 July 2009 with delivery originally planned for August 2012. The ship was launched on 4 June 2012, and christened on 20 October. She took to the sea for the first time on 5 November 2013, for five days of builder's

sea trial A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...

s in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, and completed acceptance sea trials in February 2014. ''America'' departed in commission without ceremony from Ingalls Shipbuilding in

, on 11 July 2014 in transit to her homeport of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California. The ship earned commission status after the crew successfully completed the light-off assessment, anti-terrorism force protection certification and crew certification.

2010s

''America'' arrived at

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

on 5 August, and the local press was invited to a guided visit the next day. She arrived at her home port of San Diego, California on 15 September 2014. During transitions around South America, ''America''s mission was to connect with regional allies, conducting joint exercises with

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

involving security and communications operations, as well as medical asset coordination and mission planning activities. The ship carried three

SH-60 Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...

helicopters of HSC-21 and four MV-22 Ospreys of VMX-22, which flew into countries and transported distinguished visitors to the ship. Plans are to embark the F-35B JSF for ''America''s first operational deployment. ''America'' was commissioned on 11 October 2014 in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

as part of the activities of San Francisco Fleet Week 2014. The

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

(SECNAV)

Ray Mabus Raymond Edwin Mabus Jr. (; born October 11, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2017. Mabus previo ...

was the featured speaker. In July 2017, ''America'' was attached to the 15th MEU for Western Pacific 17-2 (WESTPAC 17-2). Their main mission was the supporting of

Operation Inherent Resolve {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Operation Inherent Resolve , partof = the international military intervention against the Islamic State and the War on terror , image = , caption = U.S. Navy B ...

. During their deployment, Marines and Sailors aboard the ''America'' came to the aid of the USS John S. McCain at

Changi Naval Base Changi Naval Base (CNB), officially known as RSS ''Singapura'' – Changi Naval Base, is a naval base of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Located about 1.5 kilometres east of Changi Air Base (East) and 3.5 kilometres east of Singapore Ch ...

after the USS John S. McCain and Alnic MC collision. ''America'' provided messing and berthing services to ''McCain'' crew members and supported damage control efforts on board. ''America'' also supported the searches for the 10 missing Sailors all of which were eventually recovered. ''America'' decomposited stateside on 7 March 2018.

2020s

In July 2021, ''America'' participated in Exercise Talisman Saber 2021 in north-east

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n waters, with more than 17,000 personnel from Australia and the United States and forces from Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United Kingdom.See F-35B jets take off at sea for Australian exercise Talisman Sabre
Mike Yeo, DefenseNews, 2021-07-29 In May 2022, ''America'' and her Amphibious Ready Group were in

Sasebo, Japan is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...

. In February 2025, it was announced that the USS Tripoli would be heading to Sasebo, Japan, and the ''America'' would be stationed back at

Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego is a United States Navy base in San Diego, California. It is the world's second largest surface ship naval base. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the United States Pacific Fleet, consisting of over 50 ships ...

. On the 14th of June, USS ''America'' arrived at Sydney Harbour after 30 days at sea.

Awards

Navy E Ribbon A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

– (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) * Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award for outstanding food service – (2017, 2018, 2020) * Admiral James H. Flatley Memorial Award for Naval Aviation Safety – (2020)

Gallery

File:USS America (LHA-6) off Pascagoula in 2013.JPG, USS ''America'' off

Pascagoula The Pascagoula (also Pascoboula, Pacha-Ogoula, Pascagola, Pascaboula, Paskaguna) were an indigenous group living in coastal Mississippi on the Pascagoula River. The name ''Pascagoula'' is a Choctaw term meaning "bread eater". Choctaw native Am ...

on 9 November 2013 File:USS America (LHA-6) at Guantanamo Bay in July 2014.JPG, USS ''America'' at Guantanamo Bay on 21 July 2014 File:The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) sits pierside in Valparaiso, Chile, Aug. 27, 2014, during a scheduled port visit 140827-N-YB590-004.jpg, USS America moored in Valparaiso,

on 27 August 2014 File:USSAmericaByPhilKonstantin.jpg, USS ''America'' coming into port in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on 15 September 2014 File:USS America (LHA 6) off the coast of San Diego.JPG, USS ''America'' off San Diego on 19 February 2015 File:AV-8B Harrier aboard USS America 150222-N-AC979-219.jpg, An

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

AV-8B Harrier The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine Attack aircraft, ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier jump jet, Harrier family, capable of V/STOL, vertical or short takeoff and l ...

VMA-311 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311 (VMFA-311) is a United States Marine Corps fighter attack squadron consisting of F-35C Lightning II. Known as the "Tomcats", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and falls unde ...

aboard USS ''America'' on 22 February 2015 File:CWIS maintenance 141005-N-MD297-013.jpg, USS ''Americas

Phalanx CIWS The Phalanx CIWS () is an automated gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Co ...

undergoing maintenance on 5 October 2014 File:USMC F-35Bs, USS America, Oct. 8, 2019.jpg, USMC Lockheed F-35Bs aboard USS ''America'' on 8 October 2019 File:HMS Queen Elizabeth USS America JS Ise.jpg, USS ''America'' alongside and on 24 August 2021

References

External links

Official page

New Class of USMC Aircraft Carriers

US Navy to Commission Amphibious Assault Ship
* {{DEFAULTSORT:America (LHA-6) America-class amphibious assault ships 2012 ships