The keel of the America-class amphibious warship USS Bougainville (LHA-8) was authenticated during a ceremony at Ingalls Shipbuilding on Thursday, March 14. Ship’s sponsor Ellyn Dunford declared the keel «truly and fairly laid» after her initials were welded onto a plate.

 

Bougainville and the America class

Bougainville will retain the aviation capability of the America-class design while adding the surface assault capability of a well deck. The well deck will give the U.S. Marine Corps the ability to house and launch two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft or one Landing Craft Utility (LCU) as needed during their maritime missions. Other additions to Bougainville include a larger flight deck configured for Joint Strike Fighter and Osprey V-22 aircraft, which can be used for surface and aviation assaults. The additional area on the flight deck comes in part from a smaller deck house and an additional sponson.

 

Namesake background

USS Bougainville (LHA-8) will be the second U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name Bougainville. The name commemorates the Bougainville Campaign that took place during World War II. During the campaign, which lasted from 1943 to 1944, Allied forces secured a strategic airfield from Japan in the northern Solomon Islands, helping the allies break the Japanese stronghold in the South Pacific.

 

Ingalls amphibious shipbuilding background

Ingalls is currently the sole builder of large-deck amphibious ships for the U.S. Navy. The shipyard delivered its first amphibious assault ship, the Iwo Jima-class USS Tripoli (LPH-10), in 1966. Ingalls has since built five Tarawa-class (LHA-1) ships, eight Wasp-class (LHD-1) ships and the first in a new class of ships, USS America (LHA-6). The second ship in the class, USS Tripoli (LHA-7) is currently under construction and USS Bougainville (LHA-8) is the third ship in the class.

 

Sponsor

Ellyn Dunford, spouse of General Joe Dunford, 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the sponsor of Bougainville. A graduate of Simmons College, Mrs. Dunford worked as a physical therapist for close to 30 years. General and Mrs. Dunford have three children.

 

LHA Facts and Stats

With a typical air combat element embarked, an LHA amphibious assault ship can be equipped with:

• 5 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters;
• 4 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters;
• 2 UH-1Y Venom attack helicopters;
• 4 CH-53E Super Sea Stallion helicopters;
• 12 MV-22 Osprey;
• 2 MH-60S Search and Rescue helicopters;
• Defensive weapons systems include .50 caliber/12.7-mm machine guns, The Phalanx, Sea Sparrow and Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) anti-ship cruise missile weapon systems and decoy launchers.

 

LHA-8 Milestones

Started Construction: October 6, 2018

Keel Authenticated: March 14, 2019

 

Ships

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

 

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division officially started fabrication of the America-class amphibious assault ship USS Bougainville (LHA-8) on Monday, October 16, 2018. The start of fabrication signifies that the shipyard is ready for sustained production and ready to move forward with the construction of the ship.

«Our shipbuilders are proud to continue Ingalls’ legacy in amphibious shipbuilding», said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. «The start of Bougainville, our 16th large-deck amphib, allows us to continue the serial production of these great ships. Working with the Navy and Marine Corps, we will take advantage of our hot production line and a healthy nationwide supplier base to continue providing these much-needed ships for the defense of our nation and the world’s sea lanes».

USS Bougainville (LHA-8) will retain the aviation capability of the America-class design while adding the surface assault capability of a well deck. The well deck will give the U.S. Marine Corps the ability to house and launch two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft or one Landing Craft Utility (LCU) as needed during their maritime missions. Other additions to Bougainville include a larger flight deck configured for Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and Osprey V-22 aircraft, which can be used for surface and aviation assaults. The additional area on the flight deck comes in part from a smaller deck house and an additional sponsor.

USS Bougainville (LHA-8) will be the second U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name Bougainville. The name commemorates the Bougainville Campaign that took place during World War II. During the campaign, which lasted from 1943 to 1944, Allied forces secured a strategic airfield from Japan in the northern Solomon Islands, helping the allies break the Japanese stronghold in the South Pacific.

 

Ships

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

 

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a $3 billion contract for the detail design and construction of the amphibious assault ship USS Bougainville (LHA-8). Ingalls was awarded the original long-lead material contract for the third ship in the USS America (LHA-6) class on June 30, 2016.

«Our shipbuilders do an outstanding job building large-deck amphibious warships», Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. «We look forward to incorporating 50 years of amphibious shipbuilding knowledge into the U.S. Navy’s newest assault ship and providing the sailors and Marines a complex and highly capable product to perform their missions of freedom».

Construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2018, and delivery is expected in 2024. USS Tripoli (LHA-7), the second of the America-class amphibious assault ships, is currently under construction at Ingalls and was launched on May 1. The ship will be christened on September 16.

Bougainville will retain the aviation capability of the America-class design while adding the surface assault capability of a well deck. The well deck will give the U.S. Marine Corps the ability to house and launch two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft or one Landing Craft Utility (LCU) as needed during their maritime missions. Other additions to Bougainville include a larger flight deck configured for Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and Osprey V-22 aircraft, which can be used for surface and aviation assaults. The additional area on the flight deck comes in part from a smaller deck house and an additional sponson.

USS Bougainville (LHA-8) will be the second Navy vessel to bear the name Bougainville. The name commemorates the Bougainville Campaign that took place during World War II. During the campaign, which lasted from 1943 to 1944, Allied forces secured a strategic airfield from Japan in the northern Solomon Islands, helping the allies break the Japanese stronghold in the South Pacific.

Ingalls is currently the sole builder of large-deck amphibious ships for the U.S. Navy. The shipyard delivered its first amphibious assault ship, the Iwo Jima-class USS Tripoli (LPH-10), in 1966. Ingalls has since built five Tarawa-class (LHA-1) ships, eight Wasp-class (LHD-1) ships and the first in a new class of ships, USS America (LHA-6).

Ships

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