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'Mini-carrier' USS Wasp on way to Sasebo to load stealthy F-35Bs

Jan 09 (Japan Times) - A U.S. amphibious assault ship capable of carrying advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets was soon to arrive at Sasebo naval base in Nagasaki Prefecture, the U.S. Navy said over the weekend.

The U.S. Navyâ€™s 7th Fleet, based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, said the USS Wasp had entered waters under its area of operations and was heading toward Sasebo.

The U.S. military plans to load F-35Bs deployed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture on the 257-meter Wasp and use them to deter North Korea and China, informed sources said.

The Wasp was to come to Sasebo last autumn to replace the USS Bonhomme Richard, another amphibious assault ship, but its arrival was put off due to a post-hurricane relief mission off Puerto Rico and other afflicted areas.

The 40,000-ton Wasp is essentially a miniature aircraft carrier. Built in the 1980s, the Wasp has been upgraded to deploy the F-35B â€” a fifth-generation fighter jet with vertical landing and takeoff ability that could offer the U.S. a major advantage in the event of a conflict involving North Korea as they have been deemed undetectable by Pyongyangâ€™s air defense systems.

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