HII launches US Navy’s new LPD Fort Lauderdale

The US Navy’s future amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) was successfully launched at the Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Division shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi on March 28.

Lauderdale is the navy’s 12th San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship.

On March 7, 2020, the ship was transferred from the land level facility to the dry dock in preparation of floating off. During the launch, the dry dock was slowly flooded until the ship floated off the blocks.

“I am thrilled to get Fort Lauderdale in the water, so we can begin final outfitting and eventually take the ship out to sea for trials,” said Capt. Scot Searles, LPD 17 class program manager for Program Executive Office (PEO), Ships.

The San Antonio class is the latest addition to the US Navy’s 21^st 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 21^st century.

Ingalls Shipbuilding is also in production on the future USS Richard M. McCool (LPD 29) and Harrisburg (LPD 30). LPD 28 and 29 will serve as transition ships to LPD 30, the first LPD 17 Flight II ship.