Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding laid the keel for the US Navy's 14th San Antonio-class landing platform dock (LPD) on Friday, January 28.
The future USS Harrisburg will be the second US Navy ship to be named after the capital city of Pennsylvania.
The 684- by 105-foot (208- by 32-metre) amphibious ship will support embarking, transporting, and landing US Marines and their equipment by conventional or air-cushioned landing craft. The ship's capabilities will be further enhanced by its flight deck and hangar, enabling it to operate a variety of helicopters as well as the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
The LPD will also be able to support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations, expeditionary warfare, and disaster relief missions, operating independently or as part of amphibious readiness groups, expeditionary strike groups, or joint task forces.
