Tag Archives: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)

Navy

The 13th LPD

January 11, 2022 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced on January 7, 2022 the successful launch of amphibious transport dock USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29). Richard M. McCool Jr., the 13th LPD in the San Antonio class of amphibious assault force ships, will support U.S. amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions through the first half of the 21st century.

«The LPD class ships, like all of our programs, are critically important to U.S. national security», said Kari Wilkinson, president of HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division. «In addition, thousands of Americans, from engineers to electricians, have worked on LPD-29 over the years. Ingalls Shipbuilding is proud to build them and even more proud of the talented people that make up our shipbuilding team».

With the assistance of tugs, USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29) came off the floating dry dock Wednesday morning, after first being translated via Ingalls’ rail car system. The dock was moved away from the pier and then ballasted to float off the ship.

Launching USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29) is the first of a series of significant milestone events in bringing the ship to life, and eventual delivery to the U.S. Navy which is planned for later next year.

Ingalls Shipbuilding is building the entire San Antonio class of ships, the newest addition to the U.S. Navy’s 21st century amphibious assault force. The 684-foot-long/208.5-meter-long, 105-foot-wide/32-meter-wide ships that displace 25,000 tons are used to embark and land Marines, their equipment and supplies ashore via air cushion or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey.

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
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

Navy

The sixth ship of the Flight III

December 10, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on December 06, 2021 officially started fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyer USS George M. Neal (DDG-131).

Ingalls Burner specialist Jason Jackson, right, starts fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS George M. Neal (DDG-131) in the Ingalls Shipbuilding Steel Fabrication Shop, observed by Bob Poppenhouse, Ingalls DDG-131 ship program manager; Matt Park, general foreman for Ingalls Fabrication Shop; and Lance Carnahan, director of Ingalls Hull department

«Start of fabrication is our first opportunity to formally celebrate and reflect on our contributions as shipbuilders», Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. «We are very proud of what we do here for the country and endeavor to do our part in building and activating what will be the newest Flight III destroyer».

Ingalls has delivered 33 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction include USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123), USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) and USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129).

The new destroyer’s name honors a Korean War veteran, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal, who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions while attempting to rescue a fellow service member. Neal volunteered as crewman to fly in a helicopter deep into North Korean mountains to attempt the rescue of a Marine aviator who had been shot down and was trapped by the enemy. During the rescue attempt, under heavy enemy fire, Neal’s helicopter was disabled and crashed. He assisted his pilot and the rescued aviator in evading enemy forces for nine days before being captured and held as a prisoner of war. Neal was eventually released and returned to the U.S. with more than 320 fellow POWs in 1952.

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 myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

Flight III

Ship	Yard	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
DDG-125 Jack H. Lucas	HIIIS
DDG-126 Louis H. Wilson, Jr.	GDBIW
DDG-128 Ted Stevens	HIIIS
DDG-129 Jeremiah Denton	HIIIS
DDG-130 William Charette	GDBIW
DDG-131 George M. Neal	HIIIS
DDG-132 Quentin Walsh	GDBIW
DDG-133 Sam Nunn	HIIIS
DDG-134 John E. Kilmer	GDBIW
DDG-135 Thad Cochran	HIIIS
DDG-136 Richard G. Lugar	GDBIW
DDG-137 John F. Lehman	HIIIS
DDG-138	GDBIW
DDG-139	HIIIS

Navy

Frank E. Petersen Jr.

December 6, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) to the U.S. Navy during a signing ceremony held on Tuesday, November 30. This milestone officially transfers custody from HII to the U.S. Navy.

«I am again very proud of our DDG team today», said Kari Wilkinson, Ingalls Shipbuilding president. «Not only have they completed another major program milestone, but they have done so in the face of a pandemic. This team, and all of our shipbuilders across our entire portfolio, are what shipbuilding is all about».

Delivery of USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) marked the 33rd destroyer Ingalls has built for Navy, with four more currently under construction, including USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123), USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) and USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129).

DDG-121 is named for Frank E. Petersen Jr., who was the U.S. Marine Corps’ first African-American aviator and general officer. After entering the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1950, Petersen would go on to fly more than 350 combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

CHARACTERISTICS

Length Overall	525 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline	65.6 feet/20 m
Draft	32.8 feet/10 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
Speed	in excess of 30 knots/34.5 mph/55.5 km/h
Range	4,400 NM/8,149 km at 20 knots/23 mph/37 km/h
Crew	380 total: 32 Officers, 27 CPO (Chief Petty Officer), 321 OEM
Surveillance	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)
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)/54 (62) Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46 or Mark-50 ASW torpedos

GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYERS LINEUP

Flight IIA: Technology Insertion

Ship	Yard	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
DDG-116 Thomas Hudner	GDBIW	04-23-17	12-01-18	Mayport, Florida
DDG-117 Paul Ignatius	HIIIS	11-12-16	07-27-19	Mayport, Florida
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye	GDBIW	10-27-19		Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black	HIIIS	09-08-17	09-26-20	Mayport, Florida
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin	GDBIW	05-16-21
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr.	HIIIS	07-13-18
DDG-122 John Basilone	GDBIW
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee	HIIIS	01-27-20
DDG-124 Harvey C. Barnum Jr.	GDBIW
DDG-127 Patrick Gallagher	GDBIW

Navy

Christening of New Jersey

November 15, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) on November 13, 2021 christened pre-commissioning unit New Jersey (SSN-796) at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division.

USS New Jersey (SSN-796) — Ship’s sponsor Susan DiMarco christens pre-commissioning unit New Jersey (SSN-796) during ceremony on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at Newport News Shipbuilding. Also pictured (left to right) are Commander Carlos Otero, the ship’s prospective commanding officer; Admiral Michael Mullen (U.S. Navy, Ret), former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former chief of naval operations; and Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding division

«The christening is a Navy and shipbuilder tradition that celebrates the hard work and dedication of the women and men who are building this magnificent submarine, readying her for the next phase of construction, which includes launch, testing, sea trials and delivery to the Navy», said Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. «We commemorate these American builders during a challenging time in our nation’s history».

«When New Jersey joins the Navy’s fleet, she will deliver firepower for freedom, taking with her the skill of her shipbuilders, the spirit of her sponsor, the courage of her commander and crew and the pride of her fellow New Jerseyans», Boykin added. «These characteristics, united, forge a strong national defense that defines America».

Susan DiMarco, who is a New Jersey resident, retired dentist and wife of former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, serves as the ship’s sponsor and performed the traditional honor of breaking a bottle of American sparkling wine across the submarine’s bow during the ceremony.

«As citizens today, we are more divided and disconnected from one another than at any time in our last 50 years, but the efforts that went into building New Jersey say otherwise», DiMarco said. «In order to complete this great ship, there must have been vital partnership and purpose. As a country, we are cooperative, generous and tenacious, and we can work together on exceptional ideas».

The ceremony took place outside of Newport News Shipbuilding’s Module Outfitting Facility and was attended by more than 1,800 guests, including Newport News Shipbuilding employees who are building New Jersey, members of the submarine’s crew, Navy personnel and other government officials, including Jeh Johnson.

U.S. Representative Bobby Scott, of Virginia, and U.S. Representative Donald Norcross, of New Jersey, both delivered remarks. Other speakers included New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy; Jay Stefany, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition; Vice Admiral Johnny Wolfe Jr., director of the Navy’s strategic systems programs; and Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat.

Ceremony participants included U.S. Representative Elaine Luria, of Virginia; Captain Andrew P. Johnson, commanding officer of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News; and Commander Carlos Otero, the ship’s prospective commanding officer.

Retired U.S. Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former chief of naval operations, provided the keynote address.

«Today is a day of gratitude, especially to the 4,000 men and women whose hard work put New Jersey together», said Mullen, adding that the nation must prevail in an ideological battle against an adversary it has not seen before.

«The future USS New Jersey will be a critical – some say the most critical – arrow in our quiver», he said.

The company reached the pressure hull complete milestone in February, meaning that all of the ship’s hull sections were joined to form a single, watertight unit. This was one of the last major milestones before the christening, and is floated off to a pierside berth for additional outfitting and testing at a future date.

New Jersey is the 23rd Virginia-class submarine and the 11th to be delivered by Newport News Shipbuilding. It is first submarine designed with a modification for gender integration. Construction began in March 2016 and is 82% complete. The submarine is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in late 2022.

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)

* – Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories

Nuclear Submarine Lineup

Block IV

Ship	Yard	Christening	Commissioned	Homeport
SSN-792 Vermont	EB	10-20-18	04-18-20	Groton, Connecticut
SSN-793 Oregon	EB	10-05-19
SSN-794 Montana	NNS	09-12-20
SSN-795 Hyman G. Rickover	EB	07-31-21
SSN-796 New Jersey	NNS	11-13-21
SSN-797 Iowa	EB	Under Construction
SSN-798 Massachusetts	NNS	Under Construction
SSN-799 Idaho	EB	Under Construction
SSN-800 Arkansas	NNS	Under Construction
SSN-801 Utah	EB	Under Construction

Navy

Builder’s Trials

November 2, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

The future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), the U.S. Navy’s 12th San Antonio class-amphibious transport dock ship, conducted Builder’s sea trials, October 26th.

Builder’s trials consist of a series of in-port and at-sea demonstrations that allow the U.S. Navy and the shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding Division to assess the ship’s systems and readiness prior to Acceptance trials and delivery to the U.S. Navy.

«The completion of Builder’s trials is a great first step in ensuring operational readiness of the vessel and the capabilities it will soon bring to the fleet», said Captain Scot Searles, San Antonio Class Program Office, program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «The collaboration between the U.S. Navy and our industry partners ensures that we’ll have a capable and ready ship for our Sailors».

The San Antonio-class is designed to support embarking, transporting, and landing Marines and their equipment by conventional or air-cushioned landing craft. The ship’s capabilities are further enhanced by its flight deck and hangar, enabling the ship to operate a variety of Marine Corps helicopters and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (MV-22). Because of the ships inherent capabilities, they are able to support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations, expeditionary warfare, or disaster relief missions, operating independently or as part of Amphibious Readiness Groups (ARGs), Expeditionary Strike Groups, or Joint Task Forces.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Division is currently in production of the future USS Richard S. McCool (LPD-29) and the future USS Harrisburg (LPD-30). LPD-28 and 29 will serve as transition ships to LPD-30 – the first LPD-17 Flight II ship.

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, and 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
USS Richard M. McCool (LPD-29)	Ingalls

Flight II

Ship	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
USS Harrisburg (LPD-30)	Ingalls
USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31)	Ingalls

Navy

Builder’s Trials

September 1, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

The future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121), the U.S. Navy’s 71st Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, completed Builder’s sea trials, August 26.

The trials were conducted by the shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division.

Builder’s trials consist of a series of in-port and at-sea demonstrations that allow the shipbuilder to assess the ship’s systems and readiness for Acceptance Trials prior to delivery.

«Completion of these trials gives us confidence that USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) will be able to conduct successful Acceptance Trials in mid-September», said Captain Seth Miller, DDG-51 program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «The U.S. Navy and industry team continues to work diligently to ensure the ship is ready to operate at its peak performance and can provide capability and capacity to the fleet».

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121), a Flight IIA destroyer, will be equipped with the Aegis Combat System, which includes Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability and enhanced Ballistic Missile Defense capabilities. This system delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability against a variety of threats.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division is currently in production on future destroyers USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123), USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) and USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129).

CHARACTERISTICS

Length Overall	525 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline	65.6 feet/20 m
Draft	32.8 feet/10 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
Speed	in excess of 30 knots/34.5 mph/55.5 km/h
Range	4,400 NM/8,149 km at 20 knots/23 mph/37 km/h
Crew	380 total: 32 Officers, 27 CPO (Chief Petty Officer), 321 OEM
Surveillance	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)
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)/54 (62) Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46 or Mark-50 ASW torpedos

GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYERS LINEUP

Flight IIA: Technology Insertion

Ship	Yard	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
DDG-116 Thomas Hudner	GDBIW	04-23-17	12-01-18	Mayport, Florida
DDG-117 Paul Ignatius	HIIIS	11-12-16	07-27-19	Mayport, Florida
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye	GDBIW	10-27-19		Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black	HIIIS	09-08-17	09-26-20	Mayport, Florida
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin	GDBIW	05-16-21
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr.	HIIIS	07-13-18
DDG-122 John Basilone	GDBIW
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee	HIIIS	01-27-20
DDG-124 Harvey C. Barnum Jr.	GDBIW
DDG-127 Patrick Gallagher	GDBIW

Navy

Combat System Ship

August 29, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

Sailors aboard amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) completed the ship’s first-ever Combat System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT) earlier this month.

CSSQT is a major milestone where teams demonstrate the ship’s weapons systems’ ability to effectively communicate and destroy incoming threats in an operational environment.

«This test is designed to go through all of the things that form the backbone and execution of combat systems», said Lieutenant Commander Paul Gillett, Tripoli’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat systems and Interoperability (C5I) officer. «This was just one of several at-sea periods where the team not only had to practice, but execute complex events. This was a huge win for the crew because they got to see all of that hard work come to fruition».

«I can’t say enough about how pleased we are with Tripoli’s performance during the Post Delivery test and trials phase, and their recent successful completion of the Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trials is just another step in the right direction towards fleet introduction for this ship», said Captain Cedric McNeal, Program Manager, Amphibious Warfare Programs, Program Executive Office, Ships. «This is just one of many milestones that USS Tripoli (LHA-7) has met on the path to becoming a command and control center of capability for Amphibious Ready Groups in the future fight».

During the qualification phases, the team conducted multiple trials to validate the ship’s self-defense systems’ performance, including ship’s radars tests, and operating the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), NATO Sea Sparrow, and Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) weapons systems. «I have been doing this for 26 years», said Master Chief Fire Controlman James Bush, Tripoli’s combat systems maintenance manager. «They’ve been going above and beyond anything that I can expect. I couldn’t be any happier with the fire controlmen that I have on board Tripoli».

With CSSQT trials now complete, USS Tripoli (LHA-7) will focus on additional certifications and qualifications that will ensure it is a combat ready and lethal asset to the U.S. Navy.

«The crew continues to demonstrate time and time again that Assault Carrier 7 is versatile, capable and lethal», said USS Tripoli (LHA-7) Commanding Officer Captain Joel Lang. «The precision at which we performed during CSSQT speaks volumes to the capabilities of this crew and superb warship».

USS Tripoli (LHA-7) is the U.S. Navy’s newest America-class amphibious assault ship homeported in San Diego. The ship is assigned to Amphibious Squadron 7.

General Characteristics

Builder	Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Ingalls Operations, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Date Deployed	Delivered to the fleet in on April 10, 2014
Propulsion	Two marine gas turbines, two shafts, 70,000 total brake horsepower/52,199 kW, two 5,000 horsepower/3,728 kW auxiliary propulsion motors
Length	844 ft/257.3 m
Beam	106 ft/32.3 m
Displacement	Approximately 43,745 long tons full load/44,449 metric tons
Speed	20+ knots/23+ mph/37+ km/h
Crew	1,059 (65 officers)
Load	1,687 troops (plus 184 surge)
Armament	2 RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) launchers
	2 NATO Sea Sparrow launchers with ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile)
	2 20-mm Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) mounts
	7 twin 12,7-mm/.50 cal. machine guns
Aircraft	9 F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) STOVL (Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing) aircraft
	4 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters
	4 CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters
	12 MV-22B Osprey VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) tiltrotors
	2 MH-60S Sea Hawk Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters
	UH-1Y Huey helicopters

Ships

Ship	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
USS America (LHA-6)	07-17-2009	06-04-2012	10-11-2014	Sasebo, Japan
USS Tripoli (LHA-7)	06-22-2014	05-01-2017	07-15-2020	San Diego, California
USS Bougainville (LHA-8)	03-14-2019
LHA-9

Navy

First Cut of Steel

August 26, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hosted a ceremonial event on August 25, 2021 at its Newport News Shipbuilding division that marked the first construction milestone in the life of the aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller (CVN-81).

Shipbuilder Gerald Bish operates plasma-cutting machine during the ceremonial first cut of steel for the aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller (CVN-81)

During a small ceremony held inside of a manufacturing facility, Thomas Bledsoe, the great nephew of the ship’s namesake, gave the order to «cut that steel» to shipbuilder Gerald Bish, who operated a large plasma-cutting machine that sliced into a steel plate. Shipbuilders, U.S. Navy leadership, elected officials and Doris Miller’s relatives signed their names on the plate.

«Today we recognize the start of construction of the fourth ship of the Gerald R. Ford class», said Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. «From this day forward, our shipbuilders will put their hearts into every pipe they fit, every unit they lift and every inch of steel they weld. Shipbuilders, I thank you for the hard work, innovation and dedication you will put into transforming this first piece of steel into an awe-inspiring aircraft carrier».

Ceremony participants included U.S. Representative Bobby Scott, Democratic-Virginia, who offered remarks; Rear Admiral James Downey, program executive officer for aircraft carriers; Master Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Navy Russell Smith; shipbuilders and six members of Doris Miller’s family.

«It is so fitting and timely during a period of significant discussion and change we come together to begin construction of one of our Navy’s next great aircraft carriers, in the name of one of the finest heroes of the greatest generation», Downey said. «We will construct a sound and mighty warship worthy of his legacy».

Members of Virginia’s Congressional delegation, including Representatives Rob Wittman, Republican-Virginia and Elaine Luria, Democratic-Virginia also attended the event. Other guests included, and Captain Andrew P. Johnson, commanding officer of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News.

USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) is the second ship named in honor of Miller, and the first aircraft carrier ever named for an African American. This also is the first aircraft carrier named in honor of a sailor for actions while serving in the enlisted ranks.

Miller is credited with heroic actions while serving aboard the Newport News-built USS West Virginia (BB-48) during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Miller’s bravery earned him the Navy Cross.

USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) also is the second ship of the two-carrier contract award HII received in January 2019 for the detail design and construction of the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers; USS Enterprise (CVN-80) being the first ship of the contract.

Newport News currently is performing early manufacturing of the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), which includes structural fabrication and shop work. The ship also will be the second aircraft carrier built completely using digital drawings and procedures rather than traditional paper work packages and products.

Doris Miller’s keel is scheduled to be laid in 2026 and delivered to the Navy in 2032.

«The Doris Miller story provides so many lessons to us as Americans», said Thomas Bledsoe, great-nephew of the ship’s namesake. «The Miller family cannot express in words what this means to us, to Americans and to anyone inspired by Doris Miller’s story».

The Ford class features new software-controlled electromagnetic catapults and weapons elevators, a redesigned flight deck and island, and more than twice the electrical capacity of the preceding Nimitz-class carriers. These aircraft carriers are designed to be the centerpiece of the nation’s security strategy and support and protect the global economy through the protection of sea lanes around the world.

General Characteristics

Builder	Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia
Propulsion	2 A1B* nuclear reactors, 4 shafts
Length	1,092 feet/333 m
Beam	134 feet/41 m
Flight Deck Width	256 feet/78 m
Flight Deck Square	217,796 feet²/20,234 m²
Displacement	approximately 100,000 long tons full load
Speed	30+ knots/34.5+ mph/55.5+ km/h
Crew	4,539 (ship, air wing and staff)
Armament	ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile), RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile), Mk-15 Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System)
Aircraft	75+

* – Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. serves the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program

Ships

Ship	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)	11-13-2009	11-09-2013	07-22-2017	Norfolk, Virginia
USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)	08-22-2015	10-29-2019
USS Enterprise (CVN-80)
USS Doris Miller (CVN-81)
CVN-82

Navy

Fort Lauderdale

August 22, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

The U.S. Navy christened its newest amphibious transport dock, the future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, August 21, at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Ingalls Division shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

The mayor of Fort Lauderdale, the Honorable Dean Trantalis, delivered the ceremony’s principal address. Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy for Ship Programs Ms. Bilyana Anderson and Vice Admiral William Galinis, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, also provided remarks. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the ship’s sponsor, Ms. Meredith Berger, christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.

«We christen the future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), recognizing a city with a proud naval history», said Secretary of the U.S. Navy, the Honorable Carlos Del Toro. «This momentous occasion brings us one step closer to ‘manning the rails’ with the men and women who will carry on the naval tradition of defending our nation and working towards a more peaceful world».

USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) is the first ship to be named for the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) is the 12th San Antonio-class ship. The ships are designed to support embarking, transporting and bringing ashore elements of 650 Marines by landing craft or air cushion vehicles. The ship’s capabilities are further enhanced by a flight deck and hangar, which can operate CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (MV-22). 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.

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
USS Richard M. McCool (LPD-29)	Ingalls

Flight II

Ship	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
USS Harrisburg (LPD-30)	Ingalls
USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31)	Ingalls

Navy

Significant progress

August 8, 2021 Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that it is making significant progress in the compartment and systems construction of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79).

Newport News Shipbuilding division is progressing through construction of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) turning over more than 500 of the total 2,615 compartments, including the machine room which is one of the larger spaces. The completed spaces allow sailors to begin training on the ship while final outfitting and testing continues

Newport News Shipbuilding division recently eclipsed the 20% mark on compartment completion, turning over to the ship’s crew more than 500 of the total 2,615 spaces. It also has installed more than 8 million feet/2,438,400 m of cable – or more than 1,500 miles/2,414 km – of the approximately 10.5 million feet/3,200,400 m of cable on Kennedy.

The most recently completed spaces include berthing, machinery and electrical. This allows sailors assigned to the pre-commissioning unit to continue training on the ship while final outfitting and testing progresses.

«We are pleased with the progress being made on Kennedy», said Lucas Hicks, vice president of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) aircraft carrier programs. «We are in the very early stages of systems testing, and look forward to successfully executing our work on equipment, systems and compartments that brings us closer to delivering the ship to the fleet».

Kennedy is more than 80% complete overall, and is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2024.

General Characteristics

Builder	Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia
Propulsion	2 A1B* nuclear reactors, 4 shafts
Length	1,092 feet/333 m
Beam	134 feet/41 m
Flight Deck Width	256 feet/78 m
Flight Deck Square	217,796 feet²/20,234 m²
Displacement	approximately 100,000 long tons full load
Speed	30+ knots/34.5+ mph/55.5+ km/h
Crew	4,539 (ship, air wing and staff)
Armament	ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile), RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile), Mk-15 Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System)
Aircraft	75+

* – Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. serves the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program

Ships

Ship	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)	11-13-2009	11-09-2013	07-22-2017	Norfolk, Virginia
USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)	08-22-2015	10-29-2019
USS Enterprise (CVN-80)
USS Doris Miller (CVN-81)
CVN-82

Ship Facts and Characteristics

San Antonio-class

Flight I

Flight II

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

Flight III

CHARACTERISTICS

GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYERS LINEUP

Flight IIA: Technology Insertion

General Characteristics

Nuclear Submarine Lineup

Block IV

Ship Facts and Characteristics

San Antonio-class

Flight I

Flight II

CHARACTERISTICS

GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYERS LINEUP

Flight IIA: Technology Insertion

General Characteristics

Ships

General Characteristics

Ships

Ship Facts and Characteristics

San Antonio-class

Flight I

Flight II

General Characteristics

Ships

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