Fairbanks Morse announced it has been awarded a contract to build and deliver the main propulsion diesel engines (MPDE) for the US Navy’s thirteenth San Antonio landing platform dock (LPD) class ship, the LPD 29.
The company said construction of the engines would begin in 2019 with delivery scheduled for 2020 to Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Fairbanks Morse will then support installation, testing, and sea trials for the vessel. The engines to be built are four sequentially turbocharged 16-cylinder Colt-Pielstick PC 2.5 diesel engines with common rail (CR) fuel injection delivering over 31 MW of propulsion power.
“We are excited about this contract because the four engines being delivered will have a proven, fuel efficient common rail fuel injection system which will deliver many benefits to the Navy,” said Andrew Smith, business leader of Fairbanks Morse’s marine segment. “Over the ship’s operational lifetime, the common rail fuel system will improve fuel consumption and reduce engine maintenance, thereby lowering lifecycle costs.”
The San Antonio LPD ship class utilizes Fairbanks Morse diesel engines for its primary propulsion system through two controllable pitch propellers (CPP). The 684-foot-long, 105-foot- wide ships are used to transport and land Marines, their equipment, and supplies.