There is a requirement to efficiently transfer wheeled and tracked vehicles from Sealift ships to Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vessels at sea. For this mission, NAVSEA has explored using a traditional heavy lift type ship as a Mobile Landing Platform (MLP). Large relative motions between the LCAC, the traditional heavy lift ship, and the Sealift ship limits the effective operational Sea State envelope of this configuration. A transformable heavy lift ship concept was developed to provide the required deck area and LCAC interface while reducing the motions experienced during trials with a traditional heavy lift ship. The concept vessel has a service speed of 18 knots and can transport five LCACs. A unique feature of this vessel is its capability to transform its upper deck into a platform 60 meters wide using deck extensions deployed from both sides. During transit, these extensions would be raised to allow for efficient passage and transit through the Panama Canal. Upon arriving in the operational theater, the ship ballasts down into a mode with reduced waterplane area for enhanced seakeeping characteristics. Then, the extensions would rotate outward to double the breadth of the ship's main working deck and provide a stable platform for the loading of LCACs. Further work is required to support the enhanced motion response characteristics of the ship, detailed design of the transformable platform, and relative motion analysis between the offloading cargo vessel and the ship.
