Home Americas HII kicks off San Antonio-class LPD Flight II program work

HII kicks off San Antonio-class LPD Flight II program work

USS Harrisburg (LPD 30)
HII rendering of future USS Harrisburg (LPD 30)

Huntington Ingalls Industries has announced that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division recently started fabrication of the US Navy’s newest San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock Harrisburg (LPD 30).

Ingalls has delivered 11 San Antonio-class ships to the Navy and has three more under construction, including LPD 30. The ship will be the 14th in the San Antonio-class and the first Flight II LPD.

“LPD 30 is the start of an exciting new era for the San Antonio class,” said Steve Sloan, Ingalls LPD program manager. “The start of fabrication for Harrisburg marks the beginning of the LPD Flight II program. Through learning structured around consistent production, we’ve been able to identify design and construction modifications to make future ships in the class more affordable while fulfilling Navy and Marine Corps requirements.”

LPD 30 will be the second navy vessel named after the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The first was a troopship acquired by the navy during World War I that served in commission from May 29, 1918 to Sept. 25, 1919. That ship also served with the navy in the Spanish-American War under another name. In addition to being the capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg is home to a number of Department of Defense facilities including the Naval Support Activity, Mechanicsburg.

The shipbuilder launched Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) in March this year and is scheduled to deliver in 2021. Lauderdale is a transition ship between the Flight I and Flight II ships.

The derivative Flight II units are envisioned as more affordable ships with reduced capabilities. They will have a more traditional mast in place of the two advanced enclosed mast/sensors and an updated deckhouse and boat valley design. The ships will carry fewer troops and have slightly less vehicle stowage space but still have greater capacity than the legacy Whidbey Island-class they are replacing.