San Antonio-class

The San Antonio class, also known as LPD-17, was developed to replace older Austin-, Cleveland-, and other amphibious ship classes with a more survivable, networked amphibious transport dock. Construction on the lead ship USS San Antonio began in 2000 and delivery followed in 2005. The design became the baseline for later Flight II ships, which are intended to replace Whidbey Island- and Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ships while preserving the Marine Corps amphibious lift mission.

San Antonio-class ships combine a flight deck, hangar, well deck, vehicle and cargo spaces, medical facilities, and command-and-control systems in one amphibious platform. Their purpose is to embark, transport, and land Marines, vehicles, landing craft, and aircraft as part of an amphibious ready group or expeditionary strike group. Compared with an aircraft carrier or destroyer, the class is defined less by offensive weapons and more by protected sea-based mobility, aviation support, and landing-force integration.

Operationally, San Antonio-class ships support amphibious assault, crisis response, humanitarian assistance, evacuation operations, special operations support, and sustained forward presence. Their value is the ability to move a landing force with helicopters, MV-22 tiltrotors, landing craft, and vehicles while also hosting command networks and defensive systems. On HiWars, the class should be treated as a major amphibious warfare enabler rather than a simple transport ship.