Much of Jackson County may be shut down, but not so for Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Less than a week after announcing the start of construction of its latest destroyer for the U.S. Navy, the Pascagoula shipyard has begun construction on another Navy ship — the amphibious transport dock ship Harrisburg (LPD 30).
LPD 30 will be the 14th in the San Antonio class. Ingalls has delivered 11 of the vessels to the Navy, with three more under construction, including Harrisburg. Last month, Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) was launched, with a scheduled delivery in 2021.
“LPD 30 is the start of an exciting new era for the San Antonio class,” said Steve Sloan, Ingalls LPD program manager. “The start of fabrication for Harrisburg marks the beginning of the LPD Flight II program.
“Through learning structured around consistent production, we’ve been able to identify design and construction modifications to make future ships in the class more affordable while fulfilling Navy and Marine Corps requirements.”
LPD 30 will be the second Navy ship named after the city of Harrisburg, Pa. The first was a troopship acquired by the Navy during World War I that served in commission from May 29, 1918 to Sept. 25, 1919. That ship also served with the Navy in the Spanish-American War under another name.
In addition to being the capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg is home to a number of Department of Defense facilities including the Naval Support Activity, Mechanicsburg.
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