Construction begins on US Navy’s new amphibious transport dock Philadelphia

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division has started the fabrication of the US Navy’s newest San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Philadelphia (LPD 32).

As disclosed, the start of fabrication signifies that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut for the ship. USS Philadelphia, a Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, will be the 16th ship in the San Antonio class and the seventh vessel to bear this name.

Amphibious transport docks are a major part of the navy’s expeditionary force, deployed with a US Marine Corps Air-Ground Task Force for amphibious and expeditionary crisis response operations.

Ingalls is the sole provider of LPD 17 San Antonio-class ships and has delivered LPDs 17 through 29 to date.

Currently, Ingalls has three Flight II LPDs under construction, including USS Harrisburg (LPD 30), USS Pittsburgh (LPD 31), and USS Philadelphia.

USS Harrisburg, the first Flight II LPD, was launched in October last year, and a christening ceremony for the vessel was held in January this year.

Additionally, in September 2024, the US Navy awarded Ingalls a contract for the construction of three San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships (LPD 33, LPD 34, and LPD 35).

“From the earliest planning stages to the first cut of steel, every step of construction so far has been focused on building a capable ship for our Navy and Marine Corps partners,” said Stephen Janowski, Ingalls Shipbuilding amphibious ship program manager.