A helicopter carrier is a type of aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters, and has a large flight deck that occupies a substantial part of the deck, which can extend the full length of the ship like HMS Ocean[1] of the Royal Navy (RN), or extend only partway, usually aft, as in the Soviet Navy's Moskva class or in the Chinese Navy's Type 0891A. It often also has a hangar deck for the storage of aircraft.

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Pure helicopter carriers are difficult to define in the 21st century. The advent of STOVL aircraft such as the Harrier jump jet, and now the F-35, have complicated the classification; the United States Navy's Wasp class, for instance, carries six to eight Harriers as well as over 20 helicopters. Only smaller carriers unable to operate the Harrier and older pre-Harrier-era carriers can be regarded as true helicopter carriers. In many cases, other carriers, able to operate STOVL aircraft, are classified as "light aircraft carriers". Other vessels, such as the Wasp class, are also capable of embarking troops such as marines and landing them ashore; they are classified as amphibious assault ships.

Helicopter carriers have been used as anti-submarine warfare carriers and amphibious assault ships.

HMS Hermes and two of her sisters were 22,000 ton fleet carriers converted to "commando carriers" only able to operate helicopters. Hermes was later converted to a STOVL carrier.

Helicopter carriers by country

Country	Navy	In service	In reserve	Under construction
Algeria	Algerian National Navy	1	0	0
Australia	Royal Australian Navy	2	0	0
Brazil	Brazilian Navy	1	0	0
China	People's Liberation Army Navy	2	1	1 (4 planned)
Egypt	Egyptian Navy	2	0	0
France	French Navy	3	0	0
India	Indian Navy	0	0	0 (4 planned total)
Italy	Italian Navy	2	0	1
Japan	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force	4	0	0
Russia	Russian Navy	0	0	2 (3 planned total)
South Korea	Republic of Korea Navy	2	0	0
Spain	Royal Spanish Navy	1	0	0
Thailand	Royal Thai Navy	1	0	0
Turkey	Turkish Navy	0	0	1
United States	United States Navy	9	3	1 (11 planned total)

Helicopter carriers

Helicopter carriers currently in use

Country	Name (Hull number)	Length	Tonnage (mt)	Class	Propulsion	Type	Classification	Commission
Algeria	Kalaat Béni Abbès (L-474)	142.90 142.90 m (468.8 ft)	8.800 8,800 mt	San Giorgio	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	4 September 2014 [2]
Australia	Canberra (L02)	230.82 230.82 m (757.3 ft)	027500 27,500 mt	Canberra (modified Juan Carlos I)	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	28 November 2014
Australia	Adelaide (L01)	230.82 230.82 m (757.3 ft)	027500 27,500 mt	Canberra (modified Juan Carlos I)	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	4 December 2015
Brazil	NAM Atlântico (A140)	203.4 203.4 m (667 ft)	021500 21,500 mt	Ocean	Conventional	VTOL	Multipurpose Helicopter Carrier	29 June 2018[3]
China	Type 75 Hainan (31)	237 m (778 ft)	40,000 tonnes (full load)	Type 75 (NATO reporting name Yushen-class)	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	23 April 2021[4]
China	Type 75 Guangxi (32)	237 m (778 ft)	40,000 tonnes (full load)	Type 75 (NATO reporting name Yushen-class)	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	26 December 2021 [5] [6] [7]
China	Type 0891A Shichang (82)	125 125 m (410 ft)	09500 9,500 mt	Shichang	Conventional	VTOL	Training Ship	January 1997
Egypt	Gamal Abdel Nasser (L1010)	199 199 m (653 ft)	021300 21,300 mt	Mistral	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	2 June 2016[8]
Egypt	Anwar El Sadat (L1020)	199 199 m (653 ft)	021300 21,300 mt	Mistral	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	16 September 2016
France	Mistral (L9013)	199 199 m (653 ft)	021300 21,300 mt	Mistral	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	December 2005
France	Tonnerre (L9014)	199 199 m (653 ft)	021300 21,300 mt	Mistral	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	December 2006
France	Dixmude (L9015)	199 199 m (653 ft)	021300 21,300 mt	Mistral	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	December 2011
Italy	San Giorgio (L-9892)	133 133 m (436 ft)	8.000 8,000 mt	San Giorgio	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	13 February 1988
Italy	San Marco (L-9893)	133 133 m (436 ft)	8.000 8,000 mt	San Giorgio	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Helicopter Dock	14 May 1988
Japan	JS Kaga (DDH-184)	248 248 m (814 ft)	027000 27,000 mt	Izumo	Conventional	VTOL	Helicopter destroyer	22 March 2017
Japan	JS Izumo (DDH-183)	248 248 m (814 ft)	027000 27,000 mt	Izumo	Conventional	VTOL	Helicopter destroyer	25 March 2015
Japan	JS Hyūga (DDH-181)	197 197 m (646 ft)[9]	013950 19,000 mt	Hyūga	Conventional	VTOL	Helicopter destroyer	18 March 2009
Japan	JS Ise (DDH-182)	197 197 m (646 ft)[9]	013950 19,000 mt	Hyūga	Conventional	VTOL	Helicopter destroyer	16 March 2011
South Korea	Dokdo (LPH-6111)	199 199 m (653 ft)	018800 18,800 mt	Dokdo	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Platform Helicopter	3 July 2007
South Korea	Marado (LPH-6112)	199 199 m (653 ft)	018800 18,800 mt	Dokdo	Conventional	VTOL	Landing Platform Helicopter	28 June 2021
Spain	Juan Carlos I (L-61)	230.82 230.82 m (757.3 ft)	027079 27,079 mt	Juan Carlos I	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	30 September 2010
Thailand	Chakri Naruebet (CVH-911)	182.65 182.65 m (599.2 ft)	11486 11,486 mt	Príncipe de Asturias	Conventional	STOVL	Helicopter Carrier (Light aircraft carrier)	27 March 1997
US	America (LHA-6)	257.3 257.3 m (844 ft)	045000 45,000 mt	America[10]	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Assault	11 October 2014[11]
US	Tripoli (LHA-7)	257.3 257.3 m (844 ft)	045000 45,000 mt	America	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Assault	15 July 2020
US	Wasp (LHD-1)	257 257 m (843 ft)	040532 40,532 mt	Wasp[10]	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	29 July 1989
US	Essex (LHD-2)	257 257 m (843 ft)	040650 40,650 mt	Wasp	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	17 October 1992
US	Kearsarge (LHD-3)	257 257 m (843 ft)	040500 40,500 mt	Wasp	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	16 October 1993
US	Boxer (LHD-4)	257 257 m (843 ft)	040722 40,722 mt	Wasp	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	11 February 1995
US	Bataan (LHD-5)	257 257 m (843 ft)	040358 40,358 mt	Wasp	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	20 September 1997
US	Iwo Jima (LHD-7)	257 257 m (843 ft)	040530 40,530 mt	Wasp	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	30 June 2001
US	Makin Island (LHD-8)	258 258 m (846 ft)	041649 41,649 mt	Wasp	Conventional	STOVL	Landing Helicopter Dock	24 October 2009

Retired helicopter carriers

• Albion (R07) (Royal Navy) – helicopter carrier of the 1960s–1980s
• Andrea Doria (C553) (Italian Marina Militare) - a helicopter cruiser Andrea Doria-class active from 1964 to 1992
• Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) (US Navy) – Wasp-class Landing Helicopter Dock, active 1998–2020
• Bulwark (R08) (Royal Navy) – helicopter carrier of the 1960s–1980s
• Caio Duilio (C554) (Italian Marina Militare) - a helicopter cruiser Andrea Doria-class active from 1964 to 1989
• Cobb (WPG-181) (US Coast Guard), decommissioned in 1946 – World's first helicopter carrier.
• Illustrious (R06) (Royal Navy) An Invincible-class light aircraft carrier, which operated as a helicopter carrier when HMS Ocean was being refitted.[12]
• Iwo Jima (LPH-2) (United States Navy) – lead of the seven-ship Iwo Jima class, active from the early 1960s to the early 2000s
• Jeanne d'Arc (French Navy), decommissioned in 2010
• Leningrad (Soviet Navy) - second of the two-ship Moskva class - active 1969 - 1991
• Moskva (Soviet Navy) - lead of the two-ship Moskva-class, active 1967 - 1991
• ex-Ocean (L12) (Royal Navy) – helicopter carrier 1998–2018, decommissioned March 2018.
  • Sold to Brazil in February 2018, renamed Atlântico (A140)
• Vittorio Veneto (550) (Italian Marina Militare) - a helicopter cruiser active from 1969 to 2003

See also

• Amphibious transport dock
• Amphibious warfare ship
• Aviation-capable naval vessel
• Landing helicopter assault
• Landing platform helicopter
• List of STOVL carriers

References

External links

Media related to Helicopter carriers at Wikimedia Commons

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