Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $1.47 billion contract from the US Navy for the detail design and construction of amphibious transport dock LPD 30, the company announced on 26 March.
Start of fabrication on LPD 30 is scheduled for 2020.
The ship will be the 14th in the San Antonio class and the first Flight II LPD. The vessel will have a well deck, flight deck and hospital facilities, and will support a Marine Air Ground Task Force in conducting a wide range of missions including combat, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The San Antonio class vessels are 684ft long and 105ft wide. The ships 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 take-off and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey.
To date, Ingalls has delivered 11 San Antonio-class ships to the navy and has two more under construction. Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) will launch in 2020 and deliver in 2021; the keel for Richard M McCool Jr (LPD 29) will be laid later in 2019.
V-22 Osprey
San Antonio Class