Keel laid for US Navy’s LPD 29
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has begun construction of the US Navy’s 13th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, the future USS Richard M McCool Jr (LPD 29), NAVSEA announced on 12 April.
Fabrication on LPD 29 began in July 2018 and the vessel is scheduled to be delivered in 2023. LPD 28 and 29 will serve as transition ships to LPD 30, the first ship of the Flight II class. LPD 17 Flight II ships will replace the navy’s aging LSD 41/49 class ships.
The LPD 17 San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships have been designed to transport and deploy combat and support elements of marine expeditionary units and brigades. The will support amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions.
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