The start of fabrication of the future USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31) began at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), Ingalls Shipbuilding division, September 7.
This milestone signifies the first 100 tons of steel for the ship having been cut.
USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31) will be the 15th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship and the second ship built in the LPD Flight II configuration. Continuity of LPD Flight II production configuration is intended to fulfill Navy and Marine Corps requirements to lift troops, aircraft, landing craft, vehicles, and cargo.
«We are proud to have the future USS Pittsburgh under construction, the fifth ship to bear the name», said Captain Cedric McNeal, program manager, Amphibious Warfare Program Office, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «With this ship, we will continue to honor the legacy of the great city of Pittsburgh and the state of Pennsylvania».
The first USS Pittsburgh was an ironclad gunboat that served during the American Civil War, and the second USS Pittsburgh (CA-4) was an armored cruiser that served during WWI. The third USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) was a Baltimore-class cruiser that served during WWII, supporting the landing at Iwo Jima. The fourth USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720) was a Los Angeles-class submarine that served the Navy from December 1984 to August 2019.
At a 2021 reception celebrating LPD-31, Pittsburgh city officials also designated November 15 as Navy Day. Rear Admiral Thomas J. Anderson, Program Executive Office Ships was in attendance and recognized Pittsburgh as, «A tough, hard-working and patriotic town with a legacy of resilience and selfless sacrifice».
As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats and craft.
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 |