• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

NNS020923-07 San Antonio Achieves 50 Percent Completion Milestone

9/23/2002 3:26:00 PM

By Craig McKay, Naval Sea Systems Command

NEW ORLEANS (NNS) -- USS San Antonio (LPD 17) achieved a major construction milestone last month, when the 105th of its 210 units was erected at the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Avondale shipyard in New Orleans.

This milestone marks significant progress since completing the 10-percent milestone just six months ago. The company received a $250,000 performance award for achieving this construction milestone, which was accomplished ahead of schedule.

A unit can be one space, such as the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor, or a group of ship's spaces such as a crew living space, lounge and sanitary facility. Each unit is not just an empty shell when it becomes part of the hull or superstructure.

A unit may include distributive systems, such as electrical wiring and/or ventilation ducting that can be more easily connected since they are already inside the unit and designed to fit.

LPD 17's future compatibility with the Marine Corps' 'mobility triad' of Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAAV), Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and the MV-22 Osprey will make it a vital component of CNO's Sea Power 21. Its extensive command and control spaces and 'flagship-like' connectivity will enable the ship class to fully support independent split operations or to serve as an integral part of Amphibious Ready Groups, Joint Task Forces or Expeditionary Strike Groups.

With detail design complete and construction well underway on the lead ship, there has been significant progress in other areas.

The keel laying for New Orleans (LPD 18) is scheduled for October 2002, and the third ship of the class, Mesa Verde (LPD 19), began construction on August 19, 2002, in Pascagoula, Miss.

The fifth ship of the class, New York (LPD 21), was named Sept. 7. The next significant milestone for LPD 17 will be San Antonio's launching and christening in the spring of 2003.