Huntington Ingalls Industries has laid the keel for the future USS Pittsburgh landing transport dock (LPD 31) in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
The San Antonio-class vessel is the fifth US Navy vessel to bear the city’s name, following the SSN 720 Los Angeles-class submarine that served from December 1984 to August 2019.
The ceremony was attended by LPD 31 sponsor Nancy Urban, a resident of Hopewell Township in suburban Pittsburgh.
“Today’s keel ceremony reaffirms our commitment that Ingalls stands ready to serve the country by building ships that will be ready to support and protect her crew,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson stated.
“With the keel officially laid on LPD 31, Mrs. Urban continues to be woven even more into the fabric of this ship and our shipbuilding family.
“We are grateful for her commitment to its crew and look forward to being with her throughout the ships’ future milestones.”
The USS Pittsburgh
LPD 31 will be almost 700 feet (200 meters) in length and have an over 100-foot (30-meter) beam.
Along with its 22-knot (24 miles/39 kilometers per hour) maximum speed, the ship can carry a combination of Super Stallion, Osprey, Venom, Viper, or Seahawk aircraft.
The vessel will be integrated with missile systems, naval cannons, and machine guns as base armaments.
Fabrication for the LPD 31 began in September last year.
San Antonio-Class Fleet
Ingalls has completed 12 San Antonio-class vessels for the US Navy, with three more under construction, including the LPD 31, USS McCool Jr. (LPD 29), and USS Harrisburg (LPD 30).
The company received a $1.3 billion contract to develop the future LPD 32 earlier this year.