Amphibious transport dock ships are warships that embark, transport and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions.
Features LPDs are used to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies by embarked Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing craft and Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV) augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft (MV 22). These ships support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions and can serve as secondary aviation platforms for amphibious ready groups.
Background
The LPD 17 San Antonio class is the functional replacement of over 41 ships from the following: LPD 4 Austin-class, LSD 36 Anchorage-class, LKA 113 Charleston-class and LST 1179 Newport-class amphibious ships. The San Antonio class provides the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, seabased platforms that are networked, survivable, and built to operate with 21st century transformational platforms, such as the MV-22 Osprey, the and future means by which Marines are delivered ashore.
Construction on USS San Antonio (LPD 17), the first ship of the class, commenced in June 2000 and was delivered to the Navy in July 2005. LPDs 18-26 have been delivered to the Navy with the future USS Portland (LPD 27), are expected to deliver in 2017. USS New York (LPD 21) is the first of three LPD 17-class ships built in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The ship’s bow stem was cast using 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center. The Navy named the 8th and 9th ships of the class - Arlington and Somerset - in honor of the victims of the attacks on the Pentagon and United Flight 93, respectively. Materials from those sites were also incorporated into Arlington and Somerset. LPD 26 delivered to the Navy in May 2016 and LPD 27 is currently under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) on the Gulf Coast. On Dec. 4, 2015, the Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls a contract action for LPD 28 (Fort Lauderdale) long lead time material to support detail design and construction. As the 12th San Antonio-class ship, LPD 28 will be used to support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions and can serve as secondary aviation platforms for amphibious ready groups.
Point Of Contact Corporate Communications Office
Naval Sea Systems Command (SEA 00D)
Washington, D.C. 20376
General Characteristics, San Antonio Class
Builder: Huntington Ingalls Industries
Propulsion: Four sequentially turbocharged marine Colt-Pielstick Diesels, two shafts, 41,600 shaft horsepower
Length: 684 ft
Beam: 105 ft
Displacement: Approximately 24,900 long tons (25,300 metric tons) full load
Armament: Two Bushmaster II 30 mm Close in Guns, fore and aft; two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers, fore and aft: ten .50 caliber machine guns
Aircraft: Launch or land two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters or two MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft or up to four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters, AH-1 or UH-1 helicopters
Landing/Attack Craft: Two LCACs or one LCU; and 14 Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles/Amphibious Assault Vehicles
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