Why U.S. warships carry comparatively large crews

Why do U.S. amphibious ships and other warships have such large crews?

The numbers reflect damage-control preferences as well as the personnel demands of legacy designs; newer ships can be organized around smaller crews.

American manning levels partly reflect a preference for abundant personnel during damage control. More sailors give a ship labor for firefighting, flooding control, repairs, and casualty response, but that choice is not the only explanation. Many amphibious ships still embody 1970s-era systems and layouts whose tasks were designed around larger crews. Newer designs such as Zumwalt, Constellation, Type 45, and their contemporaries show how automation and a later design generation can change the personnel requirement.