Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries delivered the 11th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27) to the US Navy in a ceremony on September 18.
Shipbuilders from HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, ship’s force and representatives of Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast attended the ceremony. The signing of the DD 250 document officially transfers custody of the ship from HII to the Navy.
“I am amazed with the shipbuilders here at Ingalls,” said Capt. J.R. Hill, Portland’s prospective commanding officer. “There are thousands of them who have been working to build this ship and put it into service, and they’ve really done a great job. I’m very impressed with the team Ingalls has put together as well as the 370 crew members present today who are ecstatic about taking control of this ship. ”
Portland is named for the largest city in the state of Oregon. The state has a long history with the Navy, going back to the construction of hundreds of World War II Liberty and Victory ships at three Portland-area shipyards.
Ingalls has delivered 11 San Antonio-class ships to the Navy and currently has one more, Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), under construction. In June, Ingalls received an advance procurement contract from the Navy to provide long-lead-time material and advance construction activities for LPD 29, the 13th ship of the San Antonio class.
The San Antonio class is the latest addition to 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.