USS Tripoli (LHA-7)

USS Tripoli (LHA-7) is the second America-class amphibious assault ship built for the United States Navy.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Tripoli.

Tripoli underway in July 2019
History
United States
Name: Tripoli
Namesake: Battle of Derne
Awarded: 31 May 2012[1]
Builder: Huntington Ingalls Industries
Laid down: 20 June 2014[2]
Launched: 1 May 2017[3]
Sponsored by: Lynne Mabus[4]
Christened: 16 September 2017
Acquired: 28 February 2020[5]
Commissioned: 15 July 2020[6]
Motto: In ære terram marique, "In the Air, on Land, and Sea"
Status: in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: America-class amphibious assault ship
Displacement: 44,971 long tons (45,693 t)
Length: 844 ft (257 m)
Beam: 106 ft (32 m)
Draft: 26 ft (7.9 m) (7.9 meters)
Propulsion: Two marine gas turbines, two shafts, 70,000 bhp (52,000 kW), two 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) auxiliary propulsion motors.
Speed: Over 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Complement:
  • 65 officers, 994 enlisted
  • 1,687 marines (plus 184 surge)
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
Armament:
Aircraft carried:

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.[8] Fallujah, after the Second Battle of Fallujah, was suggested as a name but was ultimately not chosen.[9]

Design
Main article: America-class amphibious assault ship

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]

History

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 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] in preparation for commissioning.

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][14][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".[15] 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.[16]

In September 2020, Tripoli completed a homeport shift from Pascagoula, Mississippi to San Diego, California.[17]

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][15]

References
  1. "Tripoli (LHA 7)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  2. "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. "Navy to Christen Amphibious Assault Ship Tripoli" (Press release). Navy News Service. 14 September 2017. NNS170914-17. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. "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. LHA 6 (formerly LHA(R)) New Amphibious Assault Ship (PDF) (Report). United States Navy. 2008.
  8. "Tripoli (LHA-7)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
  9. "When Will The Battle Of Fallujah Get The Recognition It Deserves?". Task & Purpose. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  10. Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs (Report). Washington, D.C.: Government Accountability Office. 30 March 2009. GAO-09-326SP.
  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. "USS Tripoli LHA 7". uscarriers.net. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  15. 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.
  16. "U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ship USS Tripoli Joins the Fleet". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  17. Fleet, Commander, Naval Surface Force, U. S. Pacific. "USS Tripoli Arrives in San Diego". www.public.navy.mil. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
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