Hobby Boss 83404 LHD-3 USS Kearsarge

USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) is a modern American universal landing craft. The keel for this unit was laid in 1990, the launch took place in March 1992, and the entry into service with the US Navy took place in 1993. The ship is 257 meters long, 32 meters wide, and has a full displacement of about 41,000 tons. The maximum speed of the ship is around 23-24 knots. The unit has on-board armament such as: two 20 mm Vulcan Phalanx sets, three 25 mm Bushmaster cannons or two NATO Sea Sparrow launchers. The ship can also use up to 25-27 manned aircraft.

USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) is one of the Wasp class units. The ships of this type were created to replace the Tarawa-class units, but in their construction they used a lot of experience gained from their operation. The main task of Wasp ships is landing operations. For this purpose, they have been adapted to transport about 2,000 US Marine Corps soldiers with full equipment, who can be disembarked by helicopters, landing barges or hovercraft, also carried by this type of landing craft. Due to their size, they can act as light aircraft carriers and are adapted to operate with AV-8 Harrier II or F-35B Ligthning II aircraft. The third vessel of this class - USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) - was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. The ship took part in the evacuation of civilians from Sierra Leona in 1997 to support NATO bombing operations against Serbia two years later. From the second half of 2007, the unit supported the operations of US troops in Iraq. In 2011, it operated in the Mediterranean in connection with the civil war in Libya. In 2017, the ship supported the rescue operation after Hurricane Maria. The unit is still in active service.