Huntington Ingalls says LPD 22 builder’s sea trials went well

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) reports that the company’s sixth amphibious transport dock, San Diego (LPD 22), returned over the weekend from successful builder’s sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship is currently under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding.

“This is one of the best and most successful trials I’ve been on aboard an LPD ship,” said Doug Lounsberry, Ingalls’ vice president and program manager, LPD 17 Program. “Everybody came together and worked hard to make this a great builder’s trials, and I have been impressed with the dedication of our shipbuilders to get San Diego ready for this event. It takes four to five years to build one of these ships, and the men and women we have aboard this ship have invested a large part of their lives to seeing San Diego get to this point. I am very proud of each and every one of them for their hard work.”

Ingalls’ test and trials team thoroughly tested the ship’s main propulsion, communications, steering and navigational radar systems, among others. More than 200 test events took place during the four-day sea trial, including anchor handling, flight operations, ballasting/de-ballasting the well deck and compartment air balancing.

“This builder’s trial has gone very well,” said Richard Schenk, Ingalls’ vice president, test and trials. “It has given us an opportunity to test many of the systems on this ship–from combat to steering to propulsion–and this ship has performed extremely well. When our shipbuilders get the opportunity to see the fruits of their labor–not just the finished ship but also how well it performs on trials–they are clearly proud of what they have accomplished. This has been a joint effort between our shipbuilders and the United States Navy. Just like our men and women, the ship’s crew has also shown a lot of pride in this ship and is very excited to see what their new home is all about.”

The ship will now prepare for acceptance sea trials to demonstrate the same tests and seaworthiness to the U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy by the end of 2011.

October 4, 2011