On the evening of July 24, 2024, a ceremony was held in Haifa for the official commissioning of two new large Nahshon amphibious assault ships built in the United States into the Israeli Navy and a Komemiyut ("Komemiyut") of the LSV (Logistic Support Vessel) type. The ceremony was attended by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and the Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi. The ships built at the Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding enterprise of the American shipbuilding company Bollinger Shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi, became part of the new amphibious assault ship division (Palgat ha-Nahatot) formed as part of the Israeli Navy, thereby marking the restoration of the amphibious potential of the Israeli fleet.
The ceremony of commissioning two new large Nahshon amphibious assault ships built in the United States into the Israeli Navy ("Nahshon") and a Komemiyut ("Komemiyut") of the LSV (Logistic Support Vessel) type. Haifa, 07/24/2024 (c) Israeli Navy
The American-Israeli agreement on the construction of two large amphibious assault ships for the Israeli Navy in the United States at the expense of American military assistance was concluded in 2019 and was initially kept secret. It became known for the first time only in May 2022.
As part of the agreement, two ships were built for Israel, designated as LSV (Logistic Support Vessel) and similar LSV-type amphibious assault ships of the General Frank S. Besson type belonging to the US Army. The construction of ships for Israel was carried out at the same shipbuilding enterprise VT Halter Marine (until 2003 - Halter Marine) in Pascagoula, where LSV ships of the General Frank S. Besson type were previously built. In November 2022, the VT Halter Marine shipyard was acquired from its then owner (the Singapore company ST Engineering) by the famous American shipbuilding company Bollinger Shipyards and renamed Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding.
The Nahshon amphibious assault ship built there for Israel was transferred to the Israeli Navy in Pascagoula on August 8, 2023 and arrived in Haifa on September 28, 2023. The second Komemiyut ship arrived in Haifa on June 16, 2024. Now both of them have been officially commissioned into the Israeli navy, becoming the largest units in its composition.
Eight LSV-class General Frank S. Besson (LSV-1 - LSV-8) amphibious assault ships were built by Halter Marine specifically for coastal and inter-island transportation of the US Army from 1987 to 2007, two more such ships were built for the Philippine Navy. According to published data, the two ships built for Israel are similar to the last two American ships of this type LSV-7 SSGT Robert T. Kuroda and LSV-8 Major General Robert Smalls, which were commissioned by the US Army in 2005 and 2007 and are characterized by increased dimensions, having a total displacement of 5,400 tons and a length of 96 meters and a width 20 meters.
The two-shaft power plant includes two diesel engines with a total capacity of 5,000 hp, providing a full stroke speed of up to 13 knots empty and 12 knots in full load. The range of navigation in full cargo is more than 5,000 miles. Architecturally, the ships are typical large amphibious ships of the traditional type with bow and stern cargo ramps, with the ability to move equipment under their own power along the entire length of the cargo hold and the possibility of landing on an unequipped coast. The cargo deck of the ship is designed for any equipment in service with the US Army, and can carry up to 15 main tanks or 82 ISO containers. The total cargo capacity of the ship is up to 2,280 tons. The crew is about 30 people. There are no regular weapons on American LSV ships, and it is unclear whether they will be installed on Israeli ships.
The Israeli Navy has not had amphibious forces since the mid-1990s, when all small amphibious ships and landing boats were decommissioned from their composition, and only in 2011-2012 three small 50-ton 23-meter Manta-type amphibious assault boats of Singapore construction (project BRAVE-18T, carrying capacity 18 tons). Now, with the commissioning of two large amphibious assault ships, Israel's amphibious capabilities will increase dramatically.
The large amphibious assault ship Komemiyut ("Komemiyut") of the LSV type (Logistic Support Vessel) built in the USA for the Israeli Navy during its arrival in Haifa, 06/16/2024 (c) The Israel Defense Forces
Video (c) Israel Defense Forces :
