and capsule of Apollo 13 From 1972 to 1974 USS Guam was used as an experimental sea control ship In 1983 Guam acted as a command and control and logistic support ship for the Multinational Force in Lebanon and in October, survivors of the Beirut barracks bombing where airlifted to Iwo Jima, which acted as a hospital ship. Vessels of USN's LHDs have conducted and coordinated disaster response operations for various natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina. As a result of the multi-role nature of these operations, a new type of vessel emerged, the joint support ship, as a hybrid of two very different classes of vessels, amphibious assault ships and auxiliary ships. Design features While the specific roles that a JSS is designed to fulfil varies between navies (e.g. the Canadian Protecteur class features a reinforced hull for Arctic operations), most vessels share common features to support the basic roles they provide for both navies and armies. Below are some examples of these common features: Flight deck and hangars for helicopters or other VTOL aircraft (e.g. V-22 Osprey) for airlift operations and aircraft maintenance. Typically, a JSS would not feature a full-length flight deck like that of a helicopter carrier and some classes of LHDs. Well dock for transporting, launching and recovering amphibious, landing or other sea-to-shore craft (e.g. LCACs, LCUs, RHIBs, etc.) Sealift space for transport and transfer of heavy equipment Berthing space and ordnance lockers for military personnel and their equipment Fuel storage tanks and dry storage for ammunition, food, and other supplies for replenishing other ships while underway. Seabasing command rooms for mission coordination Lifting equipment for the loading and unloading of deck cargo, or the launching and recovery of small watercraft Greater emphasis upon self-defence weapon systems than dedicated auxiliary ships, making them better suited for operating in combat zones Other support facilities e.g. hospital rooms. Furthermore, to fulfil its missions a flexible modular design allows for configuration of temporary areas for different purposes as missions require. As such it is basically a combination of an amphibious warfare ship and auxiliary ships like replenishment oiler, transport ship, and hospital ship in one. Vessels in service Royal Canadian Navy In 1999 the Canadian government sought to replace the Royal Canadian Navy's ageing of auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) ships through the Afloat Logistic Support Capability (ALSC) program. The replacement program envisioned tanker ships with roll-on/roll-off (RORO) sealift capability.