The partially submerged hulk of the USS Utah rests near the shoreline of Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in this undated photo. (National Park Service)
The U.S. Navy plans to homeport up to nine of its newest class of amphibious landing craft in Pearl Harbor when it begins taking delivery in 2029.
The Navy on Wednesday initiated a required environmental review for construction of a dedicated wharf and facilities to accommodate the fleet of watercraft called Medium Landing Ships.
It expects to complete the environmental study by late summer 2027, according to support documents the Navy has posted on the project’s web site.
The Navy’s preferred site lies on the northern shoreline of Ford Island, opposite the side of the isle where Pacific Fleet’s Battleship Row was located when it was devastated by the Japanese surprise attack in 1941.
The entire project, including administrative buildings, parking lots and utilities, would be within the boundaries of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
An orange rectangle on the northern side of Ford Island indicates the U.S. Navy’s preferred site for constructing berthing facilities for up to nine Medium Landing Ships to be used for Marine Corps amphibious operations. (U.S. Navy)
The Navy is procuring 18 to 35 of the new class of ship to support the Marine Corps with its operational concept called Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations, according to a January report by the Congressional Research Service.
Under that concept — with an eye toward possible conflict with China — the service would have “reinforced-platoon-sized Marine Corps units maneuver around the theater, moving from island to island, to fire anti-ship cruise missiles,” the report states.
The 328-foot-long Medium Landing Ships would be instrumental to “embarking, transporting, landing, and subsequently reembarking these small Marine Corps units” in those operations, the report states.
The Navy’s current amphibious-ship force consists entirely of large amphibious ships with lengths between 610 to 844 feet, the report states.
The highly maneuverable Medium Landing Ships were designed by Netherlands-based Damen Group and the first is being built by Bollinger Shipyards, headquartered in Louisiana. The Navy expects the first vessel in 2029.
The Navy’s preferred berth site would replace an existing wharf but with a footprint slightly to the northeast, the Navy said.
This would create a greater buffer zone between it and the USS Utah Memorial, where the submerged hulk of the battleship lies after being sunk during the attack on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship is a designated war grave.
The existing wharf is about 140 feet from the Utah at its nearest point, the Navy said.
The Navy is soliciting public comments on the proposed project through July 24.
Comments can be submitted on www.nepa.navy.mil/lsmeis/, where more information on the project is available.
Comments by mail should be sent to Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific,
Attention: LSM EIS Project Manager, 258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI 96860-3134.
