USS Essex (LHD-2) is a modern American universal landing craft. The keel for this unit was laid in 1989, the launch took place in February 1991, and entry into service with the US Navy took place in 1992. The ship is 257 m long, 32 m wide, and has a full displacement of about 41,000 tons. The maximum speed of the ship is around 23 knots. The unit has on-board armament such as: two 20 mm Vulcan Phalanx sets, three 25 mm Bushmaster cannons or two NATO Sea Sparrow launchers. The ship can also use up to 25-27 manned aircraft.
The USS Essex (LHD-2) is one of the Wasp class units. The ships of this type were created to replace the Tarawa-class units, but in their construction they used a lot of experience gained from their operation. The main task of Wasp ships is landing operations. For this purpose, they have been adapted to transport about 2,000 US Marine Corps soldiers with full equipment, who can be disembarked by helicopters, landing barges or hovercraft, also carried by this type of landing craft. Due to their size, they can act as light aircraft carriers and are adapted to operate with AV-8 Harrier II or F-35B Ligthning II aircraft. The second largest unit of this class - USS Essex (LHD-2) - was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. The ship did not manage to take part in the actions against Iraq in 1990-1991, but already in the period 1994-1995 it operated in the Persian Gulf region and supported the activities on behalf of the United Nations in Somalia. In 2001, the unit operated in the East Timor region, and a year later it took part in the Foal Eagle exercise in South Korea. In 2004, the USS Essex returned to the waters of the Persian Gulf and supported US military operations in Iraq. In 2011, at the request of the Japanese government, the unit supported the rescue operations after the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country. The unit is still in active service.