That Is One Big Ship

You may have noticed a rather large, boxy ship docked this week at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. It’s the USS Harpers Ferry, an LSD-49 (a dock landing ship). Of the dozens of ships that come into port at the Naval Weapons Station each year, only a few are like the USS Harpers Ferry.

“She is coming back for the first time in several years,” said Gregg Smith, public information officer for the base. For the past few years, the ship has been stationed in Sasebo, Japan.

It is an amphibious assault ship, and that large, boxy shape is what is known as a superstructure. As an LSD, the ship is designed to support amphibious-assault missions, carrying Marines and vehicles to sometimes hostile shores. Additionally, the USS Harpers Ferry has been involved in humanitarian relief efforts, such as providing support for regions devastated by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami.

The ship is 610 feet long, 16,708 tons and can reach speeds upward of 20 knots. Its crew includes 22 officers, 397 enlisted personnel, and a Marine detachment of more than 400 troops.

Named after a West Virginia city that was the site of a major Civil War battle, the Harpers Ferry was first commissioned in 1995.