Amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli completes acceptance trials

Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy's future amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli successfully completed its acceptance trials, builder Huntington Ingalls Industries said.

The ship, the second in the America class of amphibious vessels, was christened in 2017 and is expected to be commissioned in the summer of 2020.

The vessel recently spent three days at sea in the Gulf of Mexico with the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey as it performed vital test procedures, HII said on Wednesday, which included a full power run of the main propulsion system.

At 844 feet in length, the ship is an enlarged version of the America-class of amphibious assault ships, with increased space on its hangar deck, an expanded aviation maintenance facility and additional room for aviation fuel.

Useable as a small aircraft carrier, the USS Tripoli can accommodate helicopters and vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft like the Marine Corps' F-35B Lightning II. It can operate as a flagship for an expeditionary strike group, similar to conventional aircraft carriers.

The class of amphibious assault ships employs a hybrid-electric propulsion system, using gas-turbines for high speeds and diesel-electric engines when operating in situations that require lower speeds close to shore.

The ship completed builder's trials in July to test its test its main propulsion, combat and other systems before returning to Pascagoula, Miss., where it was built.