America’s Largest Assault Ship Sails into Split Port

United States Navy’s amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde has stopped off in the port of Split on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast this week as part of bilateral military cooperation between the Croatian armed forces and the United States…

The 1.7 billion euro USS Mesa Verde, which has the highest conning tower of all the U.S Navy’s ships and is designed to deliver a fully equipped battalion of up to 800 Marines, arrived in Split for a two-day stop on Monday afternoon from Persian Gulf. Security was tight around the ship whilst it was docked in Spit’s harbour.

The 4,433 tonne USS Mesa Verde is 208 metres in length, 32 metres wide, and has capacity for up to 800 people on board. The ship can go underwater a further 6 metres and can travel up to speeds of 22 knots (41 km/h).