Ingalls Shipbuilding’s latest amphibious transport dock ship, Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), has successfully completed acceptance trials, with the ship being put through a series of tests over several days as the U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey looked on.
Ingalls will now go to work putting the finishing touches on the San Antonio-class ship in anticipation of a spring delivery.
“Fort Lauderdale is a terrific example of what our collective team is accomplishing together,” said Ingalls president Kari Wilkinson. “LPD 28 demonstrates what Navy-industry collaboration can do to evolve a ship design to new requirements while maintaining the talented team that is demonstrating such efficiency and predictability in delivering on commitments. I couldn’t be more proud of their success.”
The Ingalls test and trials team put LPD 28 through its paces, with testing that included anchor handling, ballast/de-ballast, detect-to-engage and running the ship at full power and steering.
“It takes a lot of hard work from the entire shipbuilding team to make these sea trials successful,” said Mike Pruitt, Ingalls’ LPD ship program manager. “Fort Lauderdale is exhibit A of HII’s commitment to quality and meets our high standard for every ship that we build.”
Ingalls has delivered 11 San Antonio-class ships to the U.S. Navy, with three more under construction including Fort Lauderdale, Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29), and Harrisburg (LPD 30). Additionally, fabrication of the 15th San Antonio-class ship, Pittsburgh (LPD 31), will begin this spring.
Fort Lauderdale is named in honor of the Florida city and its long history with the U.S. military, including the Seminole Wars and Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, which trained thousands of pilots beginning with World War II, including former U.S. President George H.W. Bush.
Construction on LPD 28 began in December 2016, and she was launched in March 2020. Fort Lauderdale was christened in August of last year.
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