Canberra-class Amphibious Assault Ship
The Canberra-class is a ship class of two Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships being built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Planning to upgrade the navy's amphibious fleet began in 2000, based on Australian experiences leading the International Force for East Timor peacekeeping operation. In 2004, French company Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) and Spanish company Navantia were invited to tender proposals, with the companies offering the Mistral-class amphibious assault ship and the "Buque de Proyección Estratégica" design (later commissioned as Juan Carlos I) respectively. The Spanish design was selected in 2007, with Navantia responsible for construction of the ships from the keel to the flight deck, and BAE Systems Australia handling the fabrication of the superstructure and fitting out.
Construction of the first ship, HMAS Canberra, commenced in late 2008, and the hull was launched in early 2011. Work on the second vessel, HMAS Adelaide, started in early 2010. The ships are expected to enter service between 2014 and 2016. They will be the largest vessels ever operated by the RAN, with a displacement of 27,500 tonnes (27,100 long tons; 30,300 short tons).
Specifications[edit | edit source]
- Type: Landing Helicopter Dock (Hull designation symbol LHD)
- Service Period: 2014-
- Characteristics:
- Length: 757.3 feet (230.83 meters)
- Beam: 105.0 feet (32 meters)
- Draft: 23.2 feet (7.07 meters)
- Displacement: 27,500 tonnes (30,300 short tons; 27,100 long tons) at full load
- Capacity: Up to 110 vehicles, Heavy vehicle deck: 1,410 m2 (15,200 sq ft), Light vehicle deck: 1,880 m2 (20,200 sq ft)
- Complement: 1,046
- Crew: 358 (293 RAN, 62 Australian Army, 3 RAAF)
- Propulsion: Combined Diesel and Gas, 1 x GE LM2500 gas turbine, 2 x MAN 16V32/40 diesel generators, 2 x Siemens azimuth thrusters
- Range: 9,000 nautical miles (16,668 kilometers) at 15 knots (27.78 km/h)
- Speed: 22.6 knots (41.86 km/h)
- Sensor Suite:
- Sea Giraffe AMB radar
- Saab 9LV combat system
- Countermeasures:
- AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy
- Nulka missile decoy
- ITT Exelis ES-3701 ESM system
- Armament:
- 4 x Rafael Typhoon 25 mm remote weapons systems
- 6 x 12.7 mm machine guns
- Aircraft Carried: 8 helicopters (standard); 18 helicopters (maximum hangar space)
- Aviation Facilities: Flight deck with 13 degree ski-jump, 6 in-line deck landing spots
- Boats Carried: 4 x LCM-1E
Unit Run[edit | edit source]
- HMAS Canberra (LHD-01)
- HMAS Adelaide (LHD-02)
