Princeton (LPH 5) - Naval Cruise Book

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MISSION waterborne a ssa ult. The enemy defenders in the beach area are constantly confronted with the danger of complete encirclement and subsequent annihilation. Third, Targets such as bridges, light fortifications, and lines of communication, may be cap- tured rather than destroyed thus allowing our own use of these essential items in the push inland. In short, vertical envelop- ment with its inherent increase in speed, mobility and flex- ibility, adds a new dimension to the amphibious assault. Embarking helicopters, as- sault units and their air trans- portable weapons, equipment and supplies, the LPH is the key to projection by vertical envelopment into enemy-held territory. On these pages you will see this technique in ac- tion on the PRINCETON.

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PRINCETCN' The PRINCETON is an am- phibious assault carrier, desig- nated LPH, and as such, func- tions as a high-speed transport and launching platform for a battalion of Marines and their accompanying combat equip- ment. These troops may be used separately in commando type operations, or more likely, in support and augmentation of conventional amphibious forces. The technique used for such helicopter assaults has been aptly named Vertical Envelop- ment . lt's adoption to am- phibious operations resulted in the development of the PRIN- CETON and other amphibious assault carriers. What is Vertical Envelop- ment, and how is it used? The term is applied to the system of l a n d i n g assault troops against enemy held ter- ritories using helicopters as the ship-to-shore movement ve- hicles. What are the advantages of this technique? Firstg the fact that the Navy and Marines possess such a capability forces an enemy to disperse more widely, thus spreading his defense thinner. The shock effect of a helicop- ter landing is enormous and ideally should impose complete tactical surprise upon the de- fenders. Second: An enemy defend- ing a shore must prepare him- self to meet an attack from any direction, since vertical envelopment, as the name im- plies is not restricted by un- favorable beaches or surf con- ditions and may be employed rapidly in attacks on the enemy's rear or flank. This in effect greatly enlarges our tac- tical perimeter and completely eliminates the one front handicap resulting from a

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