{"id":33192,"date":"2022-02-16T22:50:42","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T22:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/02\/16\/new-ship-to-shore-connectors-arrive-at-little-creek\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:41:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:41:49","slug":"new-ship-to-shore-connectors-arrive-at-little-creek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2022\/02\/16\/new-ship-to-shore-connectors-arrive-at-little-creek\/","title":{"rendered":"New Ship to Shore Connectors arrive at Little Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. \u2014 Two of the next-generation Ship to Shore Connector craft<\/a> arrived Friday at their new home: Assault Craft Unit 4 at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the goal for the Navy is getting sailors in the unit up to speed on how to operate these craft, which are designed to carry personnel, cargo, weapons systems and other Marine Corps assets from ship to shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The connectors, known as Landing Craft Air Cushion 101 and 102 ( or alternately, SSC 101 and 102), feature updates to improve maintenance and carry heavier payloads in comparison to the legacy LCACs they will replace, Navy officials said. The SSCs can carry up to 74 tons \u2014 up from the 60 tons the legacy LCACs can haul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMarine Corps craft, wheeled vehicles and everything have gotten heavier over the years, and so it\u2019s really important that these new craft have the ability to carry more payload,\u201d Capt. Scot Searles, the amphibious assault and connectors program manager, told reporters. \u201cAnd so that\u2019s one of the other great things \u2026 we put more power into the craft and they can carry more now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ship to Shore Connector Craft 101 is now in the hands of Assault Craft Unit 4 at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia.(Diana Stancy Correll\/Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the Marine\u2019s Corps\u2019 is shifting its focus to the Pacific and expeditionary advanced base operations, the mission of these new craft remains unaltered and the objective is still to support hauling Marine Corps elements, Searles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAir cushion technology allows this vehicle to reach more than 70 percent of the world\u2019s coastline, while only about 15 percent of that coastline is accessible by conventional landing craft,\u201d according to Navy Sea Systems Command. \u201cIn addition to beach landings, LCACs provide personnel transport, evacuation support, lane breaching, mine countermeasure operations, and Marine and Special Warfare equipment delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LCACs 101 and 102 are the first craft of their kind delivered to operational units, and the Navy is aiming for them to reach initial operational capability in 2023 before deploying in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The craft have undergone years of testing and evaluation, including overland testing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and controlled damage testing to see how they would fare in the event of a mine explosion.<\/p>\n\n\n