Sea Trials 'Successful' For U.S. Navy's New LPD

USS San Diego under Constructions

The newest amphibious transport dock for the U.S. Navy successfully completed builder's trials for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) on Oct. 1, performing a series of tests to get the ship ready for delivery.

The San Diego (LPD 22) is the sixth ship of the LPD 17 San Antonio class of amphibious ships designed to carry Marines, landing craft, vehicles and aircraft. Beginning with the San Antonio, the class has been dogged by numerous construction and design problems. Although each new ship has shown improvement over the previous delivery, the Navy and Huntington Ingalls are anxious for the newer ships to be delivered in the best condition possible.

The ships are built at both the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., and at Avondale in New Orleans. The San Diego is a product of the Ingalls yard, which also builds amphibious assault ships, destroyers and large Coast Guard cutters. The smaller Avondale yard specializes in building only LPD 17-class ships.

During the sea trials, according to the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the San Diego completed a full power run, a self defense detect-to-engage exercise, evaluation of key combat and communications systems, rapid ballast/deballast, quick reversals ahead and astern, steering checks, and an anchor handling demonstration.

Crewed by Huntington Ingalls personnel and assisted by contractors, the ship, NAVSEA said, ran tests intended to prove the performance of the combat and communications systems, propulsion plant, ship handling, damage control capabilities and auxiliary systems. The engineering control system and ship control systems also were demonstrated.

Navy experts from NAVSEA, the supervisor of shipbuilding and other government offices were also aboard to observe the trials.

Ingalls LPD 17-class program manager Jay Stefany said in a statement that "these were the first builder's trials of an LPD 17-class ship executed out of the Ingalls Pascagoula facility in four years, and it is clear that HII is incorporating many lessons learned from earlier LPD 17-class ships.

"HII's ability to successfully present over 200 separate, successful events during these trials demonstrated solid progress toward delivery later this year," he added.

USS Sandiego LPD-22 Cutaway

The San Diego will spend several weeks at Ingalls undergoing further tweaks in preparation for Navy acceptance trials, expected to be run in November by the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). Delivery of the ship to the Navy will follow the successful completion of those trials.

The San Diego is to be commissioned in 2012, and will be based at its namesake city in California.

Four more ships of the class are under construction at Ingalls and Avondale.

Defense News