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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Cruise Books Accidents aboard USS Wasp Patch Gallery Image Gallery to end of page |  |
USS WASP is the lead ship of the Navy's first class of multi-purpose amphibious assault ships. This class consists of the biggest amphibious vessels ever built. USS WASP is the tenth ship in the Navy to bear the name.
| General Characteristics: | Keel Laid: May 30, 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Launched: August 4, 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned: July 6, 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding , West Bank, Pascagoula, Miss. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Propulsion system: two boilers, two geared turbines | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Propellers: two | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Aircraft elevators: two | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: 840 feet (256 meters) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Flight Deck Width: 140 feet (42.6 meters) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Beam: 106 feet (32,.3 meters) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft: 26,5 feet (8.1 meters) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Displacement: approx. 40,500 tons full load | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed: 23 knots | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Aircraft: (depends upon mission) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Crew: Ship: 73 officers, 1,009 enlisted Marine Detachment: 1,894 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Armament: two Mk-29 NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, eight Mk-33 .50 cal. machine guns, two Rolling Airframe Missile Systems | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost: approx. $822 million | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Homeport: Norfolk, VA |
back to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS WASP. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageUSS WASP Cruise Books:
back to top go to the end of the pageAccidents aboard USS WASP:
| Date | Where | Events |
|---|---|---|
| April 20, 1993 | off southern Somalia | The WASP run aground when the ship scraped its keel and propeller on a charted reef approximately 3.5 miles from shore. There were no injuries to the crew and the ship continued on its assigned mission. Following the incident the ships's CO and the navigator were relieved. |
| March 29, 1995 | USS WASP collided with the Fast Combat Support Ship USS SEATTLE (AOE 3). |
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS WASP Patch Gallery:
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back to top go to the end of the pageUSS WASP Image Gallery:
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The photo below was taken by Karl-Heinz Ahles when USS WASP was inport Norfolk, Va., May 11, 1999.
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The photos below were taken by me and show the USS WASP at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 27 (first photo) and October 29, 2010.
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The photos below were taken by me and show the USS WASP at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on May 6, 2012.
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