The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest amphibious transport dock, USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, July 30, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida’s 23rd District was the principal speaker. Additional speakers include Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro; Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps General Eric Smith; Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantlis; and President of Ingalls Shipbuilding Kari Wilkinson. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the ship’s sponsor, Meredith Berger, gave the first order to «man our ship and bring her to life».
The USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) is the first naval ship to honor the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
«We commissioned the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), bringing a powerful war ship with a dedicated and determined crew to life», said Secretary of the U.S. Navy Carlos Del Toro. «This ship will play an integral part in strengthening America’s partnerships and protecting our country’s security abroad».
The nearly 25,000-ton USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) is 684 feet/208.5 m in length. Four diesel engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 22 knots/24.2 mph/38.7 km/h, and it will homeport at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia.
The future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) is the 12th San Antonio-class ship, designed to support embarking, transporting, and bringing elements of 650 Marines ashore by landing craft or air-cushion vehicles. A flight deck hangar further enhances the ship’s capabilities, which can support the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
San Antonio-class ships can support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions, operating independently or as part of Amphibious Readiness Groups (ARGs), Expeditionary Strike Groups, or joint task forces. These capabilities allow the U.S. Navy to protect America’s security abroad, promote regional stability, and preserve future peace.
Ship Facts and Characteristics
| Propulsion | Four sequentially turbocharged marine Colt-Pielstick Diesels, two shafts, 41,600 shaft horsepower/31,021 kW |
| Length | 684 feet/208.5 m |
| Beam | 105 feet/32 m |
| Displacement | Approximately 24,900 long tons/25,300 metric tons full load |
| Draft | 23 feet/7 m |
| Speed | In excess of 22 knots/24.2 mph/38.7 km/h |
| Crew | Ship’s Company: 380 Sailors (29 officers, 351 enlisted) and 3 Marines. Embarked Landing Force: 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge capacity to 800 |
| Armament | Two Mk-46 30-mm close in Guns, fore and aft; two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers, fore and aft: ten .50 caliber/12.7-mm machine guns |
| Aircraft | Launch or land two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters or two MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft or up to four AH-1 Cobra or UH-1Y Venom helicopters |
| Landing/Attack Craft | Two Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCACs) or one Landing Craft Utility (LCU); and 14 Amphibious Assault Vehicles |
San Antonio-class
Flight I
| Ship | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
| USS San Antonio (LPD-17) | Avondale | 07-12-2003 | 01-14-2006 | Norfolk, Virginia |
| USS New Orleans (LPD-18) | Avondale | 12-11-2004 | 03-10-2007 | San Diego, California |
| USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) | Ingalls | 11-19-2004 | 12-15-2007 | Norfolk, Virginia |
| USS Green Bay (LPD-20) | Avondale | 08-11-2006 | 01-24-2009 | San Diego, California |
| USS New York (LPD-21) | Avondale | 12-19-2007 | 11-07-2009 | Norfolk, Virginia |
| USS San Diego (LPD-22) | Ingalls | 05-07-2010 | 05-19-2012 | San Diego, California |
| USS Anchorage (LPD-23) | Avondale | 02-12-2011 | 05-04-2013 | San Diego, California |
| USS Arlington (LPD-24) | Ingalls | 11-23-2010 | 02-08-2013 | Norfolk, Virginia |
| USS Somerset (LPD-25) | Avondale | 04-14-2012 | 05-01-2014 | San Diego, California |
| USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) | Ingalls | 11-02-2014 | 10-08-2016 | San Diego, California |
| USS Portland (LPD-27) | Ingalls | 02-13-2016 | 12-14-2017 | San Diego, California |
| USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) | Ingalls | 03-28-2020 | 07-30-2022 | Norfolk, Virginia |
| USS Richard M. McCool (LPD-29) | Ingalls | 01-05-2022 |
Flight II
| Ship | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
| USS Harrisburg (LPD-30) | Ingalls | |||
| USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31) | Ingalls |