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BG Comparison
– Joint Support Ship (JSS) Project – AOR or LPD |
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Update: 25 Aug 2008
– the Harper Government rejected all bids on the JSS Project. The AOR replacement may be
re-tendered in the future.
Update: 31 July 2008
– Featured prominently in the Canada First Defence Strategy,
JSS is in trouble. Industry has told Maritime Staff that JSS can’t be had for the $2.9B budgeted. Instead, the
Navy is considering alternatives. These include the Dutch JSS (JLOS Joint Logistiek Ondersteuningsschip, the
“floating tavern” to Dutch critics) and the Spanish BAC Cantabria (an enlarged Amsterdam/Patiño AOR type).
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Judging the JSS Juggernaut – Unfortunate Emissions from the Joint Support Ship Project
The Joint Support Ship springs from the 1992 Afloat Logistics Sealift Capability Project. JSS is pitched as a mix of
replenishment ship (and as such, a replacement for the CF Protecteur class AOR) and transport ship for the
Army (complete with deck well for landing craft – a ‘Landing Ship Dock’ or ‘Landing
Platform Dock’ in naval parlance). In layman’s terms, JSS is a big oiler that can double up as an
amphibious landing ship. The phrase ‘amphibious assault’ (such as was practiced in November
2006 by the Standing Contingency Force) is avoided intentionally. A true LSD or LPD is designed to go in harm’s
way. The huge, fuel-ladened JSS can’t do that.
If built, JSS would (like a less-expensive AOR) spend much of its time simply re- fuelling CF and allied warships.
Alas, it now seems likely that JSS will go ahead.
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Joint Support Ship “It’s neither one thing nor the other ... Actually, it’s a collection of
things”
On 24 Nov 2006, the government announced contracts for Phase Two (Project Definition) of JSS. Two teams – led by
ThyssenKrupp and SNC-Lavalin [1] – will receive contracts for $12.5M “ to complete proposals to design and
build the ships [and] to provide long-term in-service support”. These contracts nudge JSS one notch closer
to realization but it is not too late to redirect energies towards genuine AORs and a modest LSD/LPD design. [2]
However, regular readers will be familiar with CASR views on JSS. Rather
than rehash our views, we present some comparisons.
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| CLASS [1] |
Proctecteur |
Amsterdam/Patiño |
JSS (ALSC) Project |
Whidbey Island [2] |
Rotterdam/Galicia |
Complement
(crew/air/land) |
365 total / (incl.
air det.
45) / 0 |
148 crew / plus
air det. 19 / 0 |
165 crew / plus
air det. 76 / 650 [2] |
340 crew / (+ LCAC
418) / 441 Marines |
124 crew (incl.
air det.) / 613 |
| Size (L x B x D) |
172 / 23 / 10.1m |
167 / 23 / 8m |
210 / 28 / 9.5m |
186 / 25.6 / 6.3m |
162.5 / 25 / 5.2m |
| Speed
(sust.) |
20 knots |
20 knots |
21 knots |
20+ knots |
19 knots |
| Range/speed |
7500nm/11.5kts |
13440nm at 20kts |
10800nm at 15kts |
8000nm at 18kts |
6000nm at 12kts |
| SEALIFT |
|
|
|
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| RO/RO |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Deck
space |
n/a |
n/a |
1400 lm [3] |
141 m3 |
n/a [4] |
| Veh
deck |
n/a/ |
n/a |
1000 - 1500 lm |
1876 m2 |
903 m2 |
| TEU
[5] |
Heli deck |
Heli deck |
40 TEU |
Yes [ # n/a ] |
24 TEU |
| Well
deck |
No |
No |
LC on davits [6] |
802 m2 |
921 m2 |
| JTF
HQ/Med |
No/Some |
No/Some |
Yes/Yes |
Yes/Some |
Yes/Yes |
| AIRCRAFT |
|
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|
|
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| Flight
deck |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
64.6m x 25m |
58m x 25m |
| Hangar (x heli.) |
3 x 12t (Sea King) |
2 x 15t (or 3 x 12t) |
4 x 15t (Cyclone) |
2 x 12t [no hangar] |
4 x 15t / 6 x 12t |
| U/W
SUPPORT |
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| Fuel |
14590 t |
9000 t |
7 to 10000 t |
10000 t |
1030 t |
| JP
5 |
400 t |
1660 t |
650 - 1300 t |
16250 t |
650 to 1300 t |
| Ammunition |
1250 t |
200 t |
1100 m2 |
5750 m2 |
[36 torpedoes] |
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[1] “Class” should be seen as just
that. The figures shown are for general type and should not be taken as exact for individual vessels.
[2] Chosen because of the use of LSD-44 (USS Gunston Hall) in the Standing Contingency Force’s Nov 2006
amphibious exercise, the Integrated Tactical Effects Experiment. [3] May include 95 “mission personnel”. [4]
lane meters (2500 lm = 8125 feet). [5] Measurements not given but can accomodation for 170 APCs or 33 MBTs. [5] TEU (or
‘Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit’) refers to 20 foot ISO containers. [6] JSS was to have a floodable well dock
but it now seems that two LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel) are to be slung from davits. A “sheltered
well dock” where LCVPs could presumably reload is mentioned. [Thanks to Andrew Row for well dock correction.]
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[1] The team led by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada Inc. (CANAMP, the Canada North Atlantic Marine Partnership)
also includes Peter Kiewit Sons Co., L-3 Communications, Xwave, MDA, Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, and Maersk
Canada. The team led by SNC Lavalin ProFac ( Team JSS SNC-Lavalin ) also includes: Raytheon Canada, Royal
Schelde Group, Thales, and Washington Marine Group.
[2] Ironically, Royal Schelde Group have already designed and built two of the alternative types compared above
– the AOR (fast support ship) design, A836 Hr Ms Amsterdam/A14 SPS Patiño, and
the Enforcer LPD design built in the Netherlands (amfibisch transportschip) as
L800 Hr Ms Rotterdam and L801 Hr Ms Johan de Witt and Spain (buque de asalto anfibio) as L-51
SPS Galicia and L-52 SPS Castilla.
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