Just back from Iraqi war, amphib still 'surge ready'.

• Author: Kennedy, Harold

Newly returned from the invasion of Iraq--the largest amphibious operation since the Korean War--the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) rests at pier side at the Navy base in Norfolk, Va., awaiting routine maintenance.

But the Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship, could deploy again very quickly, her commanding officer, Capt. Terrence E. Knight, told National Defense.

"We're going into the yards in January, but if we had to, we could deploy tomorrow," he said. "Nothing's broke. There's things that need to be fixed here and there, but we're surge ready."

Amphibious assault ships, nicknamed "amphibs," are the primary vessels that put U.S. Marine forces ashore during combat operations. The Kearsarge, launched in 1992, is the third member of the Wasp class.

Amphibs are poorly understood by the public, McKnight said. "I just went to my 30th high school reunion," he said. "People asked me what I'm doing these days. I said that I command an LHD, and they asked, 'What's that?'"

LHDs are the first amphibs designed specifically to accommodate air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC), which can move troops and heavy equipment quickly from the ship to the beach and beyond, and Harrier II AV-8B vertical and short take-off and landing jets, which can provide close-in air support for the assault force.

With a flight deck that stretches the ship's full length of 844 feet, the Kearsarge resembles a small aircraft carrier. It can carry two dozen helicopters, including CH-46 Sea Knights, CH-53E Super Stallions, UH-1N, and AH-1W Super Cobras, plus a squadron of six Harriers.

Unlike a carrier, however, the Kearsarge also can embark, transport, deploy, command and support a Marine expeditionary unit of about 2,000 troops with all of their combat equipment, including armored vehicles. It is designed to support assault operations by U.S. seaborne forces against defended positions ashore, McKnight said.

"It's a big ship, but it has a draft of only 28 feet," he said. "That's shallow for its size. It can go places where a carrier can't go."

Sometimes, the Kearsarge is called upon to deploy with little notice, said a ship spokesman, Senior Chief Petty Officer Gregg Snaza. In early January, the ship was ordered to the naval weapons station in Earle, N.J., to load up on heavy ordnance. Then, he said, "we received notice that we would deploy to 'an undisclosed location' within 72 hours" he said.

"During that time, we had to make arrangements for everything you can imagine--car storage...