Amphibious assault ship An amphibious assault ship ( also referred to as a commando carrier or an amphibious assault carrier ) is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault . The design evolved from aircraft carrier s converted for use as helicopter carrier s , but includes support for amphibious landing craft , with most designs including a well deck . Coming full circle , some amphibious assault ships now have a secondary role as aircraft carriers . The role of the amphibious assault ship is fundamentally different from a standard aircraft carrier : its aviation facilities have the primary role of hosting helicopters to support forces ashore rather than to support strike aircraft . However , some are capable of serving in the sea - control role , embarking aircraft like Harrier fighters for CAP and ASW helicopters or operating as a safe base for large numbers of STOVL fighters conducting air support for the MEU once it has gone ashore . Most of these ships can also carry or support landing craft , such as air - cushioned landing craft ( hovercraft ) or LCUs . The largest fleet of these types is operated by the United States Navy , including the " Tarawa " class dating back to the 1970s and the larger " Wasp " class ships that debuted in 1989 . Amphibious assault ships are also operated by the British Royal Navy , the French Navy , the Italian Navy , the Republic of Korea Navy , and the Spanish Navy . Although the term amphibious assault ship is often used interchangeably with the more - general term amphibious warfare ship , it specifically applies only to large - deck amphibious ships such as the LPH , LHA , and LHD types . This does not include the amphibious transport dock ( LPD ) , and dock landing ship ( LSD ) . History . World War II . In the Pacific theater of World War II , escort carrier s would often escort the landing ships and troop carriers during the island - hopping campaign . In this role , they would provide air cover for the troopships as well as fly the first wave of attacks on the beach fortifications in amphibious landing operations . On occasion they would even escort the large carriers , serving as emergency airstrips and providing fighter cover for their larger sisters while these were busy readying or refueling their own planes . In addition to this , they would also transport aircraft and spare parts from the US to the remote island airstrips . Post - World War II . Despite all the progress that was seen during World War II , there were still fundamental limitations in the types of coastline that were suitable for assault . Beaches had to be relatively free of obstacles , and have the right tidal conditions and the correct slope . However , the development of the helicopter fundamentally changed the equation . The first use of helicopters in an amphibious assault came during the invasion of Egypt during the Suez War in 1956 . In this engagement two British light fleet carriers , and , were converted to perform a battalion - size airborne assault with helicopters . The techniques were developed further by American forces during the Vietnam War and refined during training exercises . The modern amphibious assault can take place at virtually any point of the coast , making defending against them extremely difficult . Most early amphibious assault ships were converted from small aircraft carriers . As well as the two " Colossus " class light aircraft carriers converted for use in the Suez War , the British Royal Navy converted the " Centaur " class carriers and into " commando carriers " during the 1950s . Sister ship was also converted to a commando carrier in the early 1970s , but was restored to aircraft carrier operations before the end of the 1970s . The United States Navy used three " Essex " class aircraft carriers ; , , and , and the " Casablanca " class escort carrier as the basis of their amphibious assault fleet , before constructing the five " Iwo Jima " class ships specifically for the Landing Platform Helicopter role . Later amphibious assault craft were constructed for the role . The United States Navy constructed the " Tarawa " class of five Landing Helicopter Assault ships , which began to enter service from the late 1970s , and the " Wasp " class of eight Landing Helicopter Dock ships , the first of which was commissioned in 1989 . The United States Navy is also designing a new class of assault ships : the first " America " class ship is predicted to enter service in 2013 . The first British ship to be constructed specifically for the amphibious assault role was , which was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1998 . Other nations have built amphibious assault ships ; the French " Mistral " class , Italy ' s " San Giorgio " class , South Korea ' s ROKS " Dokdo " , and Spain ' s " Juan Carlos I " ( L61 ) are all currently active , while Australia is building two " Canberra " class ships based on the Spanish design . Design . Due to their aircraft carrier heritage , all amphibious assault ships resemble aircraft carriers in design . The flight deck is used to operate attack and utility helicopters for landing troops and supplies and on some ship types also launch and recover Harrier Jump Jet s to provide air support to landing operations . STOL aircraft such as the OV - 10 were sometimes deployed on and were able to perform short takeoffs and landings on large deck amphibious assault ships without needing catapults or arresting wires , although for safety and clearance reasons the latter was most often not permitted . Landing craft are also carried , either on deck - mounted davits , or in an internal well deck .