With $1 billion in modernization efforts over the past five years, HII is eager to see stability in the amphibious shipbuilding budget as it continues to support the Navy’s LPD and LHA needs.

Fairbanks Morse recently won the contract to power the US Navy’s 16th San Antonio-class vessel LPD 32 with four main propulsion diesel engines. Each engine will be manufactured at Fairbanks Morse’s manufacturing facility in Beloit, Wisconsin. Upon completion, the engines will be delivered to Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi where Fairbanks Morse will support the installation, testing, and sea trials.

Kari Wilkinson, executive vice president of HII and President of Ingalls, said an ideal pace for the shipyard to stay closer to peak efficiency would be to have San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships (LPDs) to be built at a rate of roughly two year centers, America-class amphibious assault ships (LHAs) continuing on four year centers, Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers continuing at nine to 12 months centers, “and we’ll look at any other opportunities that they would like us to look at.”

Congresswoman Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) visited Dante Valve, a Norfolk, Virginia company that manufactures and supplies mission-critical valves to the U.S. Navy.

On Tuesday, October 25th, Lisa Dante Papini, the president of Dante Valve, took Representative Luria on a tour of their facilities, one of the many industrial base companies that supports the amphibious warship program. The Congresswoman was able to listen firsthand to employees explaining how high-tech machinery is created and tested pressure-relief devices.

At SNA, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday talked to reporters about the spending option that Congress chose for the 2023 shipbuilding plan saying, “The Congress has been very bullish on shipbuilding. I think they’ve been very clear in terms of what their expectations are.” Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) made appearances at the conference and advocated for the strong U.S. Navy budget. Wittman emphasized the importance of being “definitive” about what the future force will look like and Courtney asserted the “shipbuilding plan is a guide, but not a straitjacket.”

Commander of Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener announced that his goal is to keep 75 surface ships at either “mission capable” or “full mission capable” readiness levels. The current number of mission-capable surface ships is classified and no specific timeline was provided for the 75-ship goal. Kitchener said, “we have some work to do” and that this effort might be achievable in two years.

“With the inclusion of a 31 amphibious ship floor, support for San Antonio and America-class amphibs, support for light amphibious warship, and affirming the [Marine Corps] Commandant’s role as an amphibious force assessor, Congress is unambiguous about our intent to keep forcible entry as a core capability of the U.S. Marine Corps.” — Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.)  

Fairbanks Morse recently won the contract to power the US Navy’s 16th San Antonio-class vessel LPD 32 with four main propulsion diesel engines. Each engine will be manufactured at Fairbanks Morse’s manufacturing facility in Beloit, Wisconsin. Upon completion, the engines will be delivered to Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi where Fairbanks Morse will support the installation, testing, and sea trials.

The start of fabrication on LPD 31 demonstrates our ability to continue manufacturing quality ships for our Navy and Marine Corps partners,” said Mike Pruitt, Ingalls Shipbuilding LPD program manager.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division started fabrication of the U.S. Navy’s newest San Antonio-class amphibious warship USS Pittsburgh (LPD 31) last Wednesday. The start of fabrication signifies that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut for the ship. 

The 12th San Antonio-class amphibious warship formally entered service on July 30 in a ceremony in Florida.

USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) is the first LPD-17 commissioned beyond the original 11 LPD-17s envisioned for the class. Fort Lauderdale serves as the bridge between the current class and the Flight II San Antonios that will replace the Whidbey Island and Harpers Ferry amphibious warships (LSD-41/49).

The Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan reveals a broader fight within the Defense Department. The issue is not simply strategic, but operational and force-structural — how to transform the Navy to ensure it can deter and defeat China in a large-scale Indo-Pacific war.

The Sea Services should grasp the role large amphibious warships will play in a Pacific war.