Navy takes delivery of LPD 23

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 —The Navy has accepted delivery from Huntington Ingalls Industries of what will likely be the next to last ship to be built at the Avondale shipyard, the future USS Anchorage (LPD 23).

Anchorage is the seventh in the LPD 17 San Antonio class of amphibious transport dock ship.

Accepting delivery of Anchorage represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy and is a major milestone in the ship’s transition to operational status. After completion of acceptance trials in July, the shipbuilder performed corrections of deficiencies noted during trials. Anchorage went to sea Sept. 12-13, to confirm satisfactory completion of corrections. The commissioning ceremony is planned for next spring in its namesake city of Anchorage, Alaska. LPD 23 is the second ship in U.S. Navy history to be named for the largest city in Alaska.

“I am proud to take delivery of LPD 23,” said Capt. Darren Plath, LPD 17 class program manager for the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Ships. “The Navy and the shipbuilder have worked very diligently to bring this vital warfighting asset to the fleet.”

The principal mission of the eleven ships of the LPD 17 class is to deploy the combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades. These ships functionally replace more than 41 ships (LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113, and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships.

Among the ships’ innovations are state-of-the-art combat control and electronics systems; the Ship Self Defense System, which provides the key integration and control portion of the ship’s total combat system, including sensors, weapons, data links and the Cooperative Engagement Capability; and the Shipboard Wide Area Network, which is a fiber-optic, ship-wide area computer network including both classified and unclassified components.

“Today is a testament to the hard work and outstanding performance by our LPD shipbuilding team,” said Huntington Ingalls’ Doug Lounsberry, vice president, LPD 17 Program. “Our dedicated shipbuilding professionals continue to improve on the complex design, construction and testing of each ship in this program. That diligent work lays the foundation necessary for sailors and Marines to accomplish their missions while deployed.”

Huntington Ingalls’ Ingalls Shipbuilding Division has now delivered seven ships in the class and has four more in various stages of development or construction. LPDs are built to be survivable and flexible. The complex, survivable ships enable the services to carry out their missions without constraints or additional assets.