GAGDI ON FOREIGN OVERSIGHT DUTY, INSPECTS LST 100 WARSHIP OF THE NIGERIAN NAVY IN AJMAN STATE OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATE.
In pursuance of his legislative function to oversee activities of the Nigerian Navy, and his innate desire for a robust Navy and improved security of Nigerian waterways, the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Navy, Rt Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi was in Ajman State of United Arab Emirate to inspect a Warship of the Nigerian Navy under construction by Albwarsdy Damen, a reputable warship Construction Company in the UAE.
The lawmaker, who inspected the multimillion dollar project, was taken round the facilities of the company in order to further appreciate the technical competence of the company to deliver the project.
Tagged LST 100 Warship, the project is expected to be completed on the 18th May, 2021 and be delivered to the Nigerian Navy on 9th March, 2022. The project was at 75 percent completion when the parliamentarian inspected the Warship. Meanwhile, the company has assured of a timely delivery of the Warship in accordance with the terms of the contract without let or hindrance of any kind.
The essence of the foreign oversight inspection of the facility was to ensure finances appropriated for the Nigerian Navy are expended as provided in the budgetary allocation of the armed force.
Expressing delight with the quality of the project, the lawmaker maintains that Nigerian Navy has been one of the most vibrant armed forces in Nigeria, with a near excellent performance record; hence the need to encourage them with the required facilities for optimal discharge of their responsibilities.
The lawmaker had earlier in 2020, led his committee members to oversight visit of all Naval formations across Nigeria in order to be fully abreast with the successes, challenges and future projections of the Nigerian Navy, thereby capping the oversight duty with visits to various ongoing projects of the armed force outside the shores of Nigeria.
Foreign oversight visits to other projects of the Nigerian Navy in the US, Germany, South Africa and UK are in the offing.
Gagdi is expected to be back in the country on Friday, 8th January 2021.
Signed:
Gagdi Media Team
Amphibious vessels and carriers
1) Landing Ship Tank (LST) : A landing ship tank is a kind of naval vessel that can carry tanks, trucks, SUVs, etc and land them directly on shore without requiring port facilities. LSTs usually have a roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ramp with which vehicles can roll ashore or onto the ship without needing a crane to carry them.
A Dravo built LST landing a tank on a beach during World War II.
Landing ship tanks were very important in the Pacific theatre of World War 2, when Commonwealth and US forces battled the Japanese from island to island. They ferried men, vehicles and other materials from captured island to the next island battlefield.
LSTs were also very important to Ecomog operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone. They carried nigerian troops and equipment to Liberia and Sierra Leone and they also carried refugees in the opposite direction.
NNS Ambe. NNS Ambe has a regular ramp at the rear of the ship (just like the World War 2 LST pictured above) and it also has an articulated ramp in front (which is why the front is higher than other parts of the ship). The ramp in front can be lowered and extended when the ship wants to offload its cargo in very shallow water. NNS Ambe played a very important role in Nigeria’s Ecomog operations in Liberia.
2) Amphibious landing ship (Landing Ship Dock, Landing Ship Platform, etc) : Landing ship tanks have one disadvantage. They need to get to shore in order to land their cargo. This could be quite difficult if there are opposing forces on land (the LST could easily be hit by shore gun and missile batteries). For example, NNS Ambe could not land its cargo immediately it got to the Free Port of Monrovia because there was a battle between Charles Taylor’s NPFL and the Armed Forces Of Liberia of Samuel Doe. Taylor’s forces actually fired mortar rounds at NNS Ambe and its escorts.
USS Harper’s Ferry (amphibious landing ship)
This problem was resolved by the creation of amphibious landing ships (eg, landing ship dock). Amphibious landing ships have well docks within them from which a zodiac rubber raft, landing boat or an amphibious fighting vehicle can be launched at sea. An amphibious landing ship does not need to go near the shore. It can stay off shore, well out of range of shore defences and launch invading marines and vehicles.
An Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) prepares to enter the well deck of the USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49). (Sea of Japan, March 22nd, 2006).
US marines in an Assault Amphibious Vehicle during their assessment test at Camp Pendelton.
Assault Amphibious Vehicle
AAVs preparing to debark USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44)
Quarter view of a Soviet Ivan Rogov class ship (amphibious landing ship).
The amphibious landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) deploys Amphibious Assault Vehicles from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) for a landing at Gray Beach, Philippines during Balikatan 2009 joint exercise (April 14, 2009).
Tracked amphibious fighting vehicles like the Assault Amphibious Vehicle propel themselves with their tracks when they are in water, while amphibious fighting vehicles that have tyres propel themselves with water jets.
3) Helicopter carrier: this refers to naval vessels whose primary purpose is to carry military helicopters (helicopter gunships, naval helicopters, transport helicopters, etc). Helicopter carriers were used during World War 2, but went out of style after the war, largely because aircraft carriers could carry both planes and helicopters.
4) Amphibious assault ships: Amphibious assault ships are basically a combination of amphibious landing ships and helicopter carriers. They have a well dock from which they can launch landing crafts and they also have a small flight deck from which they can launch helicopters. The basic idea is that the amphibious assault ships carry attack helicopters which can provide air support to the marines as they go ashore. Some amphibious assault ships also carry vertical take off/landing (VTO/L) aircraft like the Harrier Jump Jet and tiltrotor aircraft like the Boeing V22 Osprey. An amphibious assault ship can therefore stay offshore and launch a full scale invasion.
A landing craft utility (LCU) prepares to dock in the flooded well deck of the USS Essex (Wasp class amphibious assault ship).
The USS Essex receives a landing craft utility (LCU) carrying elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit while off the coast of Thailand after completing Cobra Gold 2008 joint exercise (CG08). June 9, 2008.
Amphibious assault ships are also used during refugee crises because they have enough space to accomodate the refugees, helicopters that can be used for extraction and marines to provide security.
Assault Amphibious Vehicles in the well deck of the USS San Antonio (9th March, 2008)
A Landing Craft Utility (LCU) returns to the well deck of USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3 amphibious assault ship) during a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) offload. The landing craft is transporting Marines, vehicles and their gear to the shores of Kuwait (7 July 2004).
5) Air craft carriers: Air craft carriers are large naval vessels that carry both vertical take off/landing (VTO/L) and short take off/landing (STOL) aircraft (both rotary and fixed wing). An aircraft carrier is like a floating airport and it is the biggest type of naval ship currently in use.
USS Nimitz
Aircraft carriers enable militaries conduct air operations far away from their homeland. They are one of the main means by which the great military powers of the world project force.
Naval vessels from five nations sail in parade formation for a rare photographic opportunity at sea. In four descending columns, from left to right: ITS Maestrale (F 570 Frigate), De Grasse (D 612 Frigate); USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74 Aircraft Carrier), Charles de Gaulle (R91 Aircraft Carrier), Surcouf (F 711 frigate); USS Port Royal (CG-73 guided missile cruiser), HMS Ocean (L12 amphibious assault ship), USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67 air craft carrier), ITS Luigi Durand de la Penne (D560 destroyer); and HNLMS Van Amstel (F 831 Frigate).
Abreviations:
NNS = Nigerian Navy Ship.
USS = United States Ship.
HMS = Her Majesty’s Ship (Britain).
HNLMS = Her Netherlands Majesty’s Ship.
ITS = Italian Ship.
