Ingalls completes builder’s trials for amphibious transport dock Portland

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ division Ingalls Shipbuilding division successfully completed first set of sea trials of the amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27). Ingalls’ test and trials team spent four days in the Gulf of Mexico operating the 11th San Antonio-class ship and demonstrating its systems, HII said in a press release.

“This successful sea trial is another testament to the quality work our shipbuilders continue to provide in the LPD program,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “These are complex vessels, and I’m proud of our workforce, who have the skills and knowledge it takes to design, build and test these American warships.”

 Major testing conducted during builder’s trials include anchor-handling, ballast/de-ballast of the ship’s well deck, detect-to-engage, full power ahead and astern and steering demonstrations.

“We place great importance on our relationships with our customers and the responsibility we have to the sailors and Marines who will own this ship,” said Kari Wilkinson, Ingalls’ vice president of program management. “The LPD team is strong and very prepared to continue providing these capable assets to our country.”

 Ingalls’ shipbuilders are now preparing Portland for acceptance trials in August, when the U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) will conduct inspections and witness final demonstrations before the ship is delivered to the Navy.

“Our shipbuilders continue to work in concert with one another, and this ship is another example of their successes,” said George Jones, Ingalls’ vice president of operations. “We have the best construction team in our industry today, and this team, along with the nationwide supplier base, will continue to see more successes with their winning behaviors and team spirit.”

 LPD 27 will be the third Navy ship named Portland, honoring both the Oregon seaport and Maine’s largest city.

 Ingalls has delivered 10 San Antonio-class ships to the Navy, including John P. Murtha (LPD 26) in 2016. Ingalls will lay the keel of the 12th San Antonio-class ship, Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), this fall. Last Friday, Ingalls was awarded an advance procurement contract for LPD 29.

 The San Antonio class is a major part of the Navy’s 21st century amphibious assault force. The 684-foot-long, 105-foot-wide 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 takeoff and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey. The ships support a Marine Air Ground Task Force across the spectrum of operations, conducting amphibious and expeditionary missions of sea control and power projection to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions throughout the first half of the 21st century.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII’s Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs nearly 37,000 people operating both domestically and internationally.