Ingalls lays keel for the future USS Pittsburgh (LPD 31)

Larry Stevens, an Ingalls welder, etched the sponsor's initials into a ceremonial plate during LPD 31 keel laying ceremony.[Photo by HII]

The keel for the future USS Pittsburgh (LPD 31), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, was ceremonially laid at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division, June 2, reports PEO Ships.

The ship is the fifth Navy vessel to be named for the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding region. The most recent USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) was a Los Angeles-class submarine, which served the Navy from December 1984 to August 2019.

The keel-laying ceremony used today represents the joining together of a ship’s major modular components at the land level, and is a significant milestone in ship production. The keel is authenticated with the ship sponsors’ initials etched into a ceremonial keel plate that is later incorporated into the ship.

LPD 31’s sponsor, Nancy Urban, a resident of Hopewell Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, who was in attendance with her children, declared the keel “truly and fairly laid.” During the ceremony, Larry Stevens, an Ingalls welder, etched the sponsor’s initials into the ceremonial plate.

The speaker at the keel laying was Rear Adm. Tom Anderson, Program Executive Officer, Ships.

“Shipbuilding is a team sport and is one of the most technically complex and challenging things we do in the defense industrial base. I would like to acknowledge the professionalism, skill and perseverance of the HII shipbuilders,” said Anderson. “Thank you for spending yourselves in the worthy cause of bringing the future USS Pittsburgh into being.”

“Today’s keel ceremony reaffirms our commitment that Ingalls stands ready to serve the country by building ships that will be ready to support and protect her crew,” Ingalls Shipbuilding president Kari Wilkinson said. “With the keel officially laid on LPD 31, Mrs. Urban continues to be woven even more into the fabric of this ship and our shipbuilding family. We are grateful for her commitment to its crew and look forward to being with her throughout the ships’ future milestones.”

The San Antonio class is designed to support embarking, transporting, and landing Marines and their equipment by conventional or air-cushioned landing craft. The ship’s capabilities are further enhanced by its flight deck and hangar, enabling the ship to operate a variety of Marine Corps helicopters and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (MV-22). Because of the ships’ inherent capabilities, they are able to support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations, expeditionary warfare, or disaster relief missions, operating independently or as part of amphibious readiness groups, expeditionary strike groups, or joint task forces.

“The future USS Pittsburgh’s keel laying is a momentous occasion and the Navy and its industry partners look forward to working together during the construction process,” said Capt. Cedric McNeal, program manager, Amphibious Warfare Program Office, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “Ultimately, LPD Flight II ships will provide capability and power projection to support a myriad of employment scenarios as a key component of the Amphibious Force structure for decades to come.”

Ingalls has delivered 12 San Antonio-class ships to the Navy and has three more under construction, including Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29), Harrisburg (LPD 30) and Pittsburgh (LPD 31), which will be the second Flight II LPD. The LPD 32 construction contract was awarded earlier this year.