TCG Anadolu (L-400) is an amphibious assault ship of the Turkish Navy. It is named after the peninsula of Anatolia which forms the majority of the land mass of Turkey. The construction works began on 30 April 2016 at the shipyard of Sedef Shipbuilding Inc. in Istanbul, with the keel being laid on 7 February 2018. TCG Anadolu was commissioned with a ceremony on 10 April 2023.
TCG Anadolu conducting naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea, August 2023
An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory during an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers. Modern designs support amphibious landing craft, with most designs including a well deck. Like the aircraft carriers they were developed from, some amphibious assault ships also support V/STOL fixed-wing aircraft and have a secondary role as aircraft carriers.
Well deck of USS Iwo Jima seen from a deployed landing craft
Akitsu Maru of the Imperial Japanese Army
HMS Ocean, a light aircraft carrier seen in 1952, before its conversion into the role of an amphibious assault ship carrying helicopters
An AV-8 Harrier and CH-53 aboard USS Nassau