The Marine Corps has released a video showing the design concept for its McClung-class Medium Landing Ships (LSM), designed to deliver 800 tons of troops, weapons, supplies and other equipment directly to beachheads at a range of up to 3,400 nautical miles. (U.S. Marine Corps)
The Marine Corps has released a video showing the design concept for its McClung-class Medium Landing Ships (LSM), designed to deliver 800 tons of troops, weapons, supplies and other equipment directly to beachheads at a range of up to 3,400 nautical miles.
Based on the LST-100 design from Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group, the new ships would be part of President Donald Trump’s “Golden Fleet” naval modernization program. The lead ship, USS McClung, would be built at the Bollinger Shipyards of Pascagoula, Miss.
“By selecting a mature, in-service platform, the Navy can build these ships at speed, adding critical capacity to the fleet quickly and affordably,” the video says.
The lead ship is named after Marine Maj. Megan M.L. McClung, who was killed in combat in Iraq in 2006. McClung was the first female graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to be killed in action in any conflict.
The approximately 325-foot-long McClung-class ships will have a displacement of about 4,000 tons. They would include a flight deck capable of accommodating helicopters, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and drones. The video lists NMESIS and HIMARS missile systems as among the weapons that could be deployed from the ships.
The Marines touts the LSM as a “shore-to-shore” asset capable of beaching itself and then disengaging and returning to sea.
U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan said in December 2025 that the service plans to buy between 18 and 35 of the LSMs.
The video casts the ship’s role as between that of larger ships, which require port facilities to disembark troops and supplies, and smaller vessels that can operate along coastlines.
“The LST-100 is not a traditional amphibious warfare ship designed for large-scale assault,” the video says.
The video specifically mentions the Indo-Pacific theater, where combat could be on contested coastlines. China is seen as a “near-peer” military adversary in the region.
“It’s built for sustained operations in the vast Pacific theater,” the video says.
