Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division was awarded a $10.5 million contract on January 6, 2023 for the modernization period planning of Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers, USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) and USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001).
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding awarded advanced planning contract for Zumwalt-class ships
«Ingalls is honored to have been selected to deliver this new capability with our Navy and industry partners», Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. «Our shipbuilders stand ready to do what is necessary to enable our fleet in the protection of peace around the world».
HII has invested nearly $1 billion in the infrastructure, facility and toolsets at Ingalls Shipbuilding enabling the work of Ingalls’ shipbuilders, improving product flow and process efficiency, and enhancing product quality.
Zumwalt-class destroyers feature a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design and is equipped with the most advanced warfighting technology and weaponry. These ships will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing Navy to evolve with new systems and missions.
Ingalls has delivered 34 Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyers, with five currently under construction including USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), USS George M. Neal (DDG-131) and USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133). Additionally, the third of the Zumwalt-class ships, USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) arrived in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in January 2022 for a combat systems availability.
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division started fabrication of the U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship USS Fallujah (LHA-9) on Monday. The start of fabrication signifies that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut for the ship and that the shipyard is ready to move forward with the construction of the ship.
HII begins fabrication of amphibious assault ship USS Fallujah (LHA-9)
«Our shipbuilders are proud of the work they do for the security of our nation and for our Navy and Marine Corps customers», said Eugene Miller, Ingalls Shipbuilding LHA program manager. «The start of fabrication on Fallujah is a significant milestone in the construction of this large-deck amphibious ship and demonstrates our ability to maintain a sustained LHA production line at Ingalls».
For nearly 50 years, Ingalls has built large-deck amphibious assault ships and is the sole shipbuilder for amphibious ships. Ingalls has delivered 15 large-deck ships, including the Tarawa-class, LHA 1-5; the Wasp-class, LHD 1-8; and most recently the America-class, LHA-6 and LHA-7. The third of the America class, USS Bougainville (LHA-8), is currently under construction.
The America class is a multi-functional and versatile ship that is capable of operating in a high density, multi-threat environment as an integral member of an expeditionary strike group, an amphibious task force or an amphibious ready group.
In October, Ingalls was awarded the $2.4 billion U.S. Navy fixed-price-incentive contract for the detail design and construction of Fallujah. Similar to Bougainville, Fallujah will retain the aviation capability of the America-class design while adding the surface assault capability of a well deck and a larger flight deck configured for F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey aircraft. These large-deck amphibious assault ships also include top-of-the-line medical facilities with full operating suites and triage capabilities.
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced on December 19, 2022 the successful completion of builder’s sea trials for guided missile destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125). The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer spent several days in the Gulf of Mexico with Ingalls’ test and trials team operating the ship and performing an extensive list of test events.
HII successfully completes builder’s sea trials for destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125)
During the sea trials, the team successfully accomplished the hull, mechanical, and electrical tests, conducted the first in class Flight III events with the SPY-6 arrays and tested the machinery control system to ensure remote operability of the new electric plant.
«Getting DDG-125 underway is a significant milestone in keeping this first Flight III ship on schedule, and reflects the hard work and dedication of our combined Ingalls and Navy team to ensure successful sea trials», Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. «We are all very happy with how DDG-125 performed, and we look forward to delivering this highly advanced ship to the Navy».
USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) is the first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer being built for the U.S. Navy by Ingalls. DDG-125 features enhanced detection and engagement of targets, as well as ballistic missile defense capability. The Flight III upgrade incorporates a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability.
Ingalls has delivered 34 destroyers to the U.S. Navy, with five currently under construction including DDG-125, USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), USS George M. Neal (DDG-131) and USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133). USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) was delivered to the Navy by Ingalls on November 30 and will leave the shipyard early next year.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States military strategy. Guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.
CHARACTERISTICS
Length Overall
510 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline
66 feet/20 m
Draft
30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load
9,700 tons
Power Plant
4 General Electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; 2 shafts; 2 CRP (Contra-Rotating) propellers; 100,000 shaft horsepower/75,000 kW
AN/SPY-6 AESA 3D radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V)12 Navigation; SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search; 3 SPG-62 Illuminator; SQQ-89(V)6 sonar incorporating SQS-53C hull mounted and SQR-19 towed array sonars used with Mark-116 Mod 7 ASW fire control system
Electronics/Countermeasures
SLQ-32(V)3; Mark-53 Mod 0 Decoy System; Mark-234 Decoy System; SLQ-25A Torpedo Decoy; SLQ-39 Surface Decoy; URN-25 TACAN; UPX-29 IFF System; Kollmorgen Mark-46 Mod 1 Electro-Optical Director
Aircraft
2 embarked SH-60 helicopters ASW operations; RAST (Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse)
Armament
2 Mark-41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) with 96 Standard, Vertical Launch ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) & Tomahawk ASM (Air-to-Surface Missile)/LAM (Loitering Attack Missile); 5-in (127-mm)/62 Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46, Mark-50 ASW torpedos or Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo
The Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) marked the start of fabrication for the future USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133) with a ceremony at HII’s shipyard on December 12.
Future USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133) Marks Start of Fabrication
The USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133) will be a DDG-51 Flight III guided missile destroyer centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and will provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet. The Flight III baseline begins with DDGs 125-126 and continues with DDG-128 and follow on ships.
The ship is named for Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr., a United States Senator who represented Georgia from 1972 to 1997 and served as Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
«The future USS Sam Nunn will provide 21st Century offensive and defensive warfighting capabilities for decades to come», said Captain Seth Miller, DDG-51 program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships.
In addition to Sam Nunn, HII’s Pascagoula shipyard is also currently in production on future destroyers USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), and USS George M. Neal (DDG-131).
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, special mission and support ships, boats and craft.
CHARACTERISTICS
Length Overall
510 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline
66 feet/20 m
Draft
30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load
9,700 tons
Power Plant
4 General Electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; 2 shafts; 2 CRP (Contra-Rotating) propellers; 100,000 shaft horsepower/75,000 kW
AN/SPY-6 AESA 3D radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V)12 Navigation; SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search; 3 SPG-62 Illuminator; SQQ-89(V)6 sonar incorporating SQS-53C hull mounted and SQR-19 towed array sonars used with Mark-116 Mod 7 ASW fire control system
Electronics/Countermeasures
SLQ-32(V)3; Mark-53 Mod 0 Decoy System; Mark-234 Decoy System; SLQ-25A Torpedo Decoy; SLQ-39 Surface Decoy; URN-25 TACAN; UPX-29 IFF System; Kollmorgen Mark-46 Mod 1 Electro-Optical Director
Aircraft
2 embarked SH-60 helicopters ASW operations; RAST (Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse)
Armament
2 Mark-41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) with 96 Standard, Vertical Launch ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) & Tomahawk ASM (Air-to-Surface Missile)/LAM (Loitering Attack Missile); 5-in (127-mm)/62 Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46, Mark-50 ASW torpedos or Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) to the U.S. Navy on December 1, 2022. Delivery of DDG-123 represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the U.S. Navy.
HII delivers destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) to U.S. Navy
«Delivering an incredibly capable finished ship to the U.S. Navy is always an important event for our Ingalls team», said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. «We are absolutely committed to the work that we do for our customers, communities and country».
USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) is the 34th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Ingalls has delivered to the U.S. Navy and will be the final Flight IIA ship built at Ingalls as the U.S. Navy transitions to Flight III destroyers. Ingalls currently has in production the future Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129) and USS George M. Neal (DDG-131).
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships that can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the national defense strategy. Guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. These ships contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.
DDG-123 is named to honor Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, a Navy nurse and first woman to receive the Navy Cross for her heroic actions during World War I. Higbee joined the Navy in October 1908 as part of the newly established Navy Nurse Corps, a group of women who would become known as «The Sacred Twenty», and became the second superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps in January 1911. The ships motto truly reflects the heritage of this naval hero – Bellatrix illa, meaning «she is a warrior».
Ship Characteristics
Length Overall
510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline
59 feet/18 m
Draft
31 feet/9.5 m
Displacement – Full Load
9,217 tons/9,363 metric tons
Power Plant
4 General Electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; 2 shafts; 2 CRP (Contra-Rotating) propellers; 100,000 shaft horsepower/75,000 kW
SPY-1D Phased Array Radar (Lockheed Martin)/AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V) Navigation; SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search; 3 SPG-62 Illuminator; SQQ-89(V)6 sonar incorporating SQS-53C hull mounted and SQR-19 towed array sonars used with Mark-116 Mod 7 ASW fire control system
Electronics/Countermeasures
SLQ-32(V)3; Mark-53 Mod 0 Decoy System; Mark-234 Decoy System; SLQ-25A Torpedo Decoy; SLQ-39 Surface Decoy; URN-25 TACAN; UPX-29 IFF System; Kollmorgen Mark-46 Mod 1 Electro-Optical Director
Aircraft
2 embarked SH-60 helicopters ASW operations; RAST (Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse)
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division hosted a keel authentication ceremony on November 19, 2022 for Virginia-class submarine USS Arkansas (SSN-800).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding authenticateв the keel for Virginia-class submarine USS Arkansas (SSN-800)
The ship’s sponsors are the six women of the historic group known as the Little Rock Nine, the first African American students to attend all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas during desegregation. NNS honored all nine members, including the three men, during Saturday’s ceremony.
The Little Rock Nine made history in 1957 with their response to the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Faced with shouting mobs, threats of violence and hostile state leaders who blocked their way, the teenagers were escorted into the school by federal troops at the direction of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
«Their courageous spirit will forever inspire Arkansas and her crew. This group forever changed our nation’s history and their submarine will help ensure their legacy continues», NNS President Jennifer Boykin said. «The bravery and resilience of the Little Rock Nine sparked a fire of change and demonstrated the strength of blending different perspectives and backgrounds. We harness this strength in the shipyard every day. Our diversity allows us to extend beyond our own limits, to reach new heights, and build each boat even better than the one before it. Arkansas will be proof of this power».
During Saturday’s ceremony, NNS welders etched a historic six sets of initials of the Little Rock Nine onto metal plates, signifying the keel of SSN-800 as being «truly and fairly laid». The metal plates will remain affixed to the submarine throughout its life.
«(Former Navy) Secretary Ray Mabus asked us to be supporters of the ship and its crew. I signed on to be a foster grandmother», said Elizabeth Eckford, a member of the Little Rock Nine, who spoke on behalf of the group during the ceremony. «President Eisenhower sent 1,000 paratroopers to Little Rock to disperse a mob, bring order, and they made it possible for us to enter Central High School. From that point, I’ve had very high regard for specially trained forces».
Arkansas is the 27th Virginia-class fast attack submarine being built under the teaming agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat.
«With advances in sound silencing, acoustic sensors, and weapons delivery systems, Arkansas will traverse the world’s oceans and seas as an apex predator. Representing our asymmetric advantage in the undersea domain, the Arkansas will have no equal», said Vice Admiral William Houston, commander, Naval Submarine Forces.
«It is an incredible honor for the crew to begin to establish the relationship with our namesake state of Arkansas as well as with the ship’s sponsors», said Commander Adam Kahnke, commanding officer of the pre-commissioning unit. «The story of the Little Rock Nine demonstrates the power of perseverance in the face of adversity. I find the relationship with the ship’s sponsors very appropriate due to the fact that perseverance is an essential attribute to success in the art of submarine warfare».
NNS is one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines. The advanced capabilities of Virginia-class submarines increase firepower, maneuverability and stealth.
This milestone on Arkansas comes following the delivery of USS Montana (SSN-794), the launch of USS New Jersey (SSN-796), and continued progress on USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) at NNS earlier in 2022, as the shipyard continues to invest in its workforce and facilities to make steady progress on delivering these important assets to the U.S. Navy.
General Characteristics
Builder
General Dynamics Electric Boat Division and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. – Newport News Shipbuilding
Date Deployed
October 3, 2004
Propulsion
One GE PWR S9G* nuclear reactor, two turbines, one shaft; 40,000 hp/30 MW
Length
377 feet/114.8 m
Beam
33 feet/10.0584 m
Hull Diameter
34 feet/10.3632 m
Displacement
Approximately 7,800 tons/7,925 metric tons submerged
Speed
25+ knots/28+ mph/46.3+ km/h
Diving Depth
800+ feet/244+ m
Crew
132: 15 officers; 117 enlisted
Armament: Tomahawk missiles
Two 87-in/2.2 m Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs), each capable of launching 6 Tomahawk cruise missiles
Armament: MK-48 ADCAP (Advanced Capability) Mod 7 heavyweight torpedoes
4 torpedo tubes
Weapons
MK-60 CAPTOR (Encapsulated Torpedo) mines, advanced mobile mines and UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles)
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Mission Technologies division has revealed a new medium-class Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV): REMUS 620.
HII unveils REMUS 620 Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
Building on the design philosophy of the highly successful REMUS 300 – recently selected by the U.S. Navy as the program of record for the Lionfish Small UUV – the REMUS 620 has a battery life of up to 110 hours and a range of 275 nautical miles/316 miles/509 km, providing unmatched mission capabilities for mine countermeasures, hydrographic surveys, intelligence collection, surveillance and electronic warfare.
«Retaining a forward strategic advantage requires the ability to deliver a multitude of effects from under the sea», said Duane Fotheringham, president of Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems business group. «The REMUS 620 is the first medium UUV designed to accurately deliver this range of advanced above-and-below water effects at long range».
Built to support current and next-generation naval and special operations forces operations, REMUS 620 features a modular, open architecture design to facilitate seamless payload integration and HII’s Odyssey suite of advanced autonomy solutions for intelligent, robotic platforms.
REMUS 620 is the same size and weight of the first and only full-rate production medium UUVs: the MK 18 Mod 2, Littoral Battleship Sensing-Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (LBS-AUV) and LBS-Razorback systems operated by the U.S. Navy’s Mine Countermeasure Squadrons, U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office and Submarine Forces, respectively.
Multiple REMUS 620s operating collaboratively can be deployed from submarines, small manned or unmanned boats, amphibious ships, surface combatants and helicopters. REMUS 620 can also be used as a platform to launch and operate other unmanned vehicles or payloads from beneath the sea.
Energy
REMUS 620 is equipped with multiple batteries capable of 110 hours and a range of 275 nautical miles/316 miles/509 km per mission, which provides unmatched multi-day endurance, range and stealth. The increased REMUS battery life enables the UUV to execute a significantly longer route to and from a mission area than previously afforded by medium-class vehicles. The energy modules are swappable, allowing for quick turnaround and incorporation of alternative energy sources as they become available.
Intelligence
REMUS 620 is built with modern core electronics, navigation and communication systems, and the vehicle’s open architecture can now be enhanced with HII Odyssey, a suite of advanced autonomy solutions for intelligent, robotic platforms. The vehicle includes the new Odyssey Mission Management Software.
Multi-Mission
REMUS 620 standard synthetic aperture sonar payload can be replaced or enhanced for multi-mission capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and cyber and electronic warfare operations.
REMUS 620 builds on the success of HII’s REMUS platforms, with 30 years of innovation and delivery of more than 600 UUVs to 30 countries worldwide, including 14 NATO member countries. The scientific community will also benefit from the payload flexibility and variety of environmental sensors that can be easily added to the base vehicle.
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding has been awarded a $2.4 billion U.S. Navy fixed-price-incentive contract for the detail design and construction of amphibious assault ship LHA-9. The award includes options, that if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $3.2 billion. Ingalls was awarded the original long-lead-time material contract for the fourth ship in the USS America (LHA-6) class on April 30, 2020.
HII awarded $2.4 billion to build amphibious assault ship LHA-9
«Ingalls shipbuilders are ready to build the Navy’s newest LHA», said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson. «We understand how important this work is, and consider it an honor to be given the opportunity to deliver this capability to the fleet. We value our partnership with the Navy and all of our critical supplier partners».
Construction on LHA-9 is scheduled to begin in December 2022.
Ingalls has a long tradition of building large-deck amphibious ships that are operated by the Navy and Marine Corps. The shipyard has delivered 15 large-decks, including the Tarawa-class, LHA 1-5; the Wasp-class, LHD 1-8; and most recently the America-class, LHA-6 and LHA-7. The third of the America-class, USS Bougainville (LHA-8), is currently under construction.
The America-class is a multi-functional and versatile ship that is capable of operating in a high density, multi-threat environment as an integral member of an expeditionary strike group, an amphibious task force or an amphibious ready group. LHA-9, like Bougainville, will retain the aviation capability of the America-class design while adding the surface assault capability of a well deck and a larger flight deck configured for F-35B Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and MV-22 Osprey aircraft. These large-deck amphibious assault ships also include top-of-the-line medical facilities with full operating suites and triage.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on October 7, 2022 that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division completed acceptance trials for Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123).
Ingalls Shipbuilding successfully completes acceptance trials for USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123)
«Completing a successful sea trial is always a significant accomplishment for our combined Ingalls and Navy team, and DDG-123 performed well», Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. «We are committed to this partnership and look forward to our next opportunity to demonstrate it during our next trial events for our first Flight III destroyer».
DDG 123 is the second destroyer to be named in honor of Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, the first woman to receive the Navy Cross. Higbee joined the Navy in October 1908 as part of the newly established Navy Nurse Corps, a group of women who would become known as «The Sacred Twenty», and became the second superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps in January 1911.
Ingalls has built 33 destroyers for the U.S. Navy, with five currently under construction including DDG-123, USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129) and USS George M. Neal (DDG-131). DDG-123 will be the final Flight IIA destroyer Ingalls will deliver as the U.S. Navy transitions to Flight III destroyers.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships that can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States military strategy. Guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. These ships contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.
Ship Characteristics
Length Overall
510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline
59 feet/18 m
Draft
31 feet/9.5 m
Displacement – Full Load
9,217 tons/9,363 metric tons
Power Plant
4 General Electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; 2 shafts; 2 CRP (Contra-Rotating) propellers; 100,000 shaft horsepower/75,000 kW
SPY-1D Phased Array Radar (Lockheed Martin)/AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V) Navigation; SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search; 3 SPG-62 Illuminator; SQQ-89(V)6 sonar incorporating SQS-53C hull mounted and SQR-19 towed array sonars used with Mark-116 Mod 7 ASW fire control system
Electronics/Countermeasures
SLQ-32(V)3; Mark-53 Mod 0 Decoy System; Mark-234 Decoy System; SLQ-25A Torpedo Decoy; SLQ-39 Surface Decoy; URN-25 TACAN; UPX-29 IFF System; Kollmorgen Mark-46 Mod 1 Electro-Optical Director
Aircraft
2 embarked SH-60 helicopters ASW operations; RAST (Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse)
The start of fabrication of the future USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31) began at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), Ingalls Shipbuilding division, September 7.
Start of Fabrication Begins for Future USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31)
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
