US Navy commissions the last San Antonio-class Flight I vessel
The US Navy Blue Angels fly over the USS McCool. (Photo: US Navy)
Equipped with the capabilities of the other San Antonio Class ships, the USS Richard M. McCool (LPD 29) incorporated additional lessons learned in its design.
The 13th and final San Antonio Class Flight I Landing Platform Docks (LPD) entered service with the US Navy on 7 September. The commissioning ceremony of the USS Richard M. McCool (LPD 29) was conducted at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
Engineered to support Navy–Marine Corps team amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions, this class of vessel offers networked, survivable capabilities. The LPD 29, however, incorporated in its design additional lessons learned from other San Antonio-class vessels.
Admiral Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations for the US Navy, claimed that the USS McCool brought “a
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission]()
SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission
The MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV has set a new endurance benchmark as the US Navy pushes deeper into autonomous maritime warfare.
-
![UK Royal Navy dock build question remains open ahead of Programme Euston tender]()
UK Royal Navy dock build question remains open ahead of Programme Euston tender
The UK MoD’s Programme Euston floating dry dock tender has exposed a question about the UK’s naval industrial base: does Britain still have the depth to sustain its own deterrent without foreign intervention.
-
![SAHA 2026: Turkey markets modular undersea systems to European buyers]()
SAHA 2026: Turkey markets modular undersea systems to European buyers
Turkey’s defence industry is pushing a class of platform and building an entire philosophy of cost-imposition around it.
