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Work begins on amphibious transport ship Fort Lauderdale

Construction of a new amphibious dock ship for the U.S.Navy has started at a Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard.

By Richard Tomkins
Ship’s Sponsor Meredith Berger traces her initials onto a steel plate that will be welded inside the amphibious transport ship Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). Pictured with Berger are, from left, Howard Sparks, a structural welder at Huntington Ingalls, Capt. Brian Metcalf, the U.S. Navy’s LPD 17-class program manager, and Steve Sloan, Ingalls’ LPD program manager. Photo by Lance Davis/Huntington Ingalls Industries
Ship’s Sponsor Meredith Berger traces her initials onto a steel plate that will be welded inside the amphibious transport ship Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). Pictured with Berger are, from left, Howard Sparks, a structural welder at Huntington Ingalls, Capt. Brian Metcalf, the U.S. Navy’s LPD 17-class program manager, and Steve Sloan, Ingalls’ LPD program manager. Photo by Lance Davis/Huntington Ingalls Industries

Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Construction of another San Antonio-class amphibious dock ship for the U.S. Navy has officially started at a Huntington Ingalls facility in Mississippi.

A keel authentication ceremony for the future USS Fort Lauderdale, LPD 28, took place Friday when modules for the ship were joined together, according to company officials.

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"Authentication of the ship's keel is a major ship event and we're looking forward to leveraging the experience and expertise of the Ingalls Shipbuilding team to achieve future production milestones," Capt. Brian Metcalf, LPD 17-class program manager for Program Executive Office Ships, said in a press release.

San Antonio-class ships support the embarking, transporting, and landing of elements of over 800 Marines by landing craft, air cushion vehicles and helicopters, and support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions.

LPD-28 will be the Navy's 12th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. It is scheduled for delivery in 2021.

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