Oct. 16, 2017 / 12:06 PM

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.

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.

"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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