Bay Class LPD
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| Bay class Landing Platform (Dock) (click to enlarge). |
The Bay Class Landing Platform (Dock) is a Freethinker-designed, medium-sized landing ship designed to superceed the Elephant class as the principal platform for intermediate amphibious operations and a primary support for large scale amphibious assaults. Although extremely advanced in terms of systems and survivability and vastly superior to its predecessors, the program has become plagued with risings costs along with allegations of poor design implementation in the lead ships. However, these problems have been overcome through minor design revisions and an increased production run, thanks to new procurement orders from the Freethinker Coastguard.
The ships are vastly more complex and capable vessels than either their predecessors or rival ships, containing cutting edge protection, weapons and assault support technologies that along with their renowned Freethinker build quality have ensured that the mature design is an impressive ship in its own right, an LPD both capable and cost-effective, able to support and lead multirole battlegroups and, unusually for a ship of it's type even operate independently in low-to-medium risk areas.
Statistics
- Length
- 204 Metres
- Beam
- 33 Metres
- Draft
- 9.2 Metres
- Displacement
- 27,500 tons (Normal Load)
- Crew Complement
- 360
- Gunnery
- None
- Missiles
- 2 x 12-cell (2x6) Falltech Mk 72 VLS (Tactical, Single-length)
- Self Defence
- 3 x 40mm/18-cell ((2) 3x3) Falltech Mk 3B JOCIWS, 4 x 25mm BI Mk.7 Cannon
- ASW
- 4 x Falltech 12-tube Mk 2A ASW Mortar
- Radar systems
- Falltech AS-22 Corus Dual-array NPI Long-range Air/Surface Search, Falltech AS-20 LPI Short-range Air Search
- Sonar
- Falltech SS-24A Medium-range Bow-mounted Array
- Command/Control
- Falltech Mk 1B GSTDC with AACS Modules
- Electronic Warfare
- Falltech Mk 605 ECM/ESM suite, 4 x Falltech Mk 7 Decoy Launchers, Falltech Universal Towed Decoy System
- Propulsion
- 2 x Thompson Engineering N5200 Gas Turbines in IEP Configuration, providing 78MW to 2 Electrical Induction Engines, powering 2 TE Heavy Waterjets with 'Kitchen Rudder' directional assembly. Two 500kW thrusters are mounted forward.
- Speed
- 16 kts (Cruising), 24.5 kts (Maximum)
- Maximum Range
- 7,000 Miles @ 16 kts
- Defensive Arrangements
- Hardened reinforced steel hull with additional L2 TV4A6 armour panelling around core areas. Lightweight TV4A6 honeycomb framework supplementing traditional steel bulkhead arrangement. Limited steel spall liners are incorporated in lighter-protected areas of the ship. Full and comprehensive shock-proofed superstructure with full NBC shielding. High redundancy systems and multiple damage control units and stations.
- Aviation
- 1800m2 two-spot flightdeck with CAE 'Beartrap' helicopter recovery system. Rated for heavyweight helicopters and VTOL craft. Enclosed hanger deck includes space for two medium helicopters with full maintenance, refuelling and rearming facilities.
- Troop/Vehicle Capacity
- Berthing for 945 soldiers/marines in high standard of accomadation, along with up to 8 MBTs/ 16 AAVs/ 40 IFVs. 65m x 17m floodable Welldeck can accomadate 2 standard pattern LCACs or 4 LCMs. 4 LCUs are also carried in port and starboard covered divots. A 30-ton crane is installed on the forward port side of the flightdeck.
- Unit Cost
- US$1,100,000,000 (FY06)
Production
Program
Manufacture
Manufacture of individual sections in undertaken at the Dan Helder Shipyards, Navarre Naval Shipyards and the Kettering Shipyards in Port blanche. Final assembly of the completed modules along with the installation of internal units takes place at Kettering Shipyards. Final fitting out conducted at a wide number of FDI-owned and subcontracted yards.
Other Users
Other nations which use this design:
Other nations which use a modified version of this design:
