Future USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) Completes Builder's Trials

By Team Ships Public Affairs 

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (NNS) -- The Navy's future amphibious transport dock, John P. Murtha (LPD 26) successfully completed Builder's Trials March 4.

 The ship returned to the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard in Pascagoula following four days underway.

 "LPD 26 continues the trend of improving performance as the shipbuilder incorporates lessons learned from the previous nine commissioned LPDs," said Capt. Darren Plath, LPD 17 Class Program manager, Program Executive Office, Ships. "The ship has met another critical milestone as it progresses toward Acceptance Trials, Delivery, and eventual service with the fleet."

 During Builder's Trials the ship is taken underway for a series of testing and at-sea demonstrations, which ready the ship for full testing demonstrations with the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). Among the highlights of the at-sea trials, LPD 26 completed a full power run, self-defense detect-to-engage exercise, evaluation of key combat and communications systems, rapid ballast/de-ballast operations, steering checks, and anchor handling demonstration.

 "With the launching of LPD 27 last month and the completion of LPD 26 Builder's Trials this week, our government/industry team has met every challenge in a busy schedule," said Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Capt. Joe Tuite. "To achieve a successful trial, our team completed over 750 tests leading up this week and assessed the operability of the ship through over 240 separate events during the six-day trial. They assessed everything from lowering the stern gate to operating the anchor ensuring the future USS John P. Murtha will be combat ready."

 John P. Murtha will be the 10th ship of the LPD 17 San Antonio class to join the fleet. The ship is scheduled to be commissioned in the fall and will be homeported in San Diego.

 The principal mission of LPD 17 San Antonio class ships is to deploy combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades. With the capability of transporting and debarking air cushion or conventional landing craft and augmented by helicopters or MV-22 vertical take-off and landing aircraft, these ships support amphibious assault, special operations, and expeditionary warfare missions.

 As one of the Defense Department's largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, and special warfare craft.

Future USS Makin Island Successfully Completes Builder's Trials

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The future USS Makin Island (LHD 8) successfully underwent Builder's Trials Dec. 13 in the Gulf of Mexico. The trials mark the first time this amphibious assault ship has gone to sea on its own power.

"The ship performed very well during these trials," said Capt. Jeff Riedel, the amphibious ships program manager in the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO), Ships. "The Navy and industry team is overcoming many challenges in delivering this ship, and we look forward to it joining the fleet."

These trials, conducted by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB), made history in two ways. Makin Island is the first LHD to get underway on gas turbine engines and the first LHD to get underway on electric propulsion motors. Makin Island's first-of-kind hybrid gas turbine electric drive propulsion system will provide substantial fuel savings and increased operational flexibility over the life of the ship. The ship also tested its engineering systems, fire control radar, air control radars and self defense systems. The ship will conduct a follow on Builder's Trial in late January to complete some additional engineering phases of the trials.

"On the bridge we were observing the plant status on the Machinery Control Console when we reduced speed on one shaft," said Prospective Commanding Officer Capt. Robert Kopas. "This gave us the opportunity to experience one of the unique features of MCS (machinery control system) in that the system automatically brought the other shaft up to compensate and keep the ordered speed. Typically, on most other ships you would have to manually order that to happen."

Second only to aircraft carriers in size, Wasp-class amphibious assault ships are the largest amphibious ships in the world. These ships are specifically designed to remain off shore near troubled areas of the world, ready to send forces ashore quickly by helicopters, tilt rotor aircraft and Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft. As the centerpiece of a Navy Expeditionary Strike Group, LHDs are fully capable of conducting and supporting amphibious assaults, advance force and special purpose operations, non-combatant evacuation, and other humanitarian missions. LHDs embark, transport, deploy, command and fully support a Marine Expeditionary Unit of 2,000 Marines with their gear.

LHD 8 will continue construction, tests and trials at the NGSB shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The ship is scheduled to begin acceptance trials in February 2009 and is expected to deliver to the fleet later that year.

The Navy's PEO Ships is responsible for the development and acquisition of U.S. Navy surface ships, and is currently managing the design and construction of 11 major ship classes and a wide range of small boats and craft. These platforms range from major warships such as frontline surface combatants and amphibious assault ships to air-cushioned landing craft, oceanographic research ships and special warfare craft. Since its creation in November 2002, PEO Ships has delivered 27 major warships and hundreds of small boats and craft from more than 20 shipyards and boat builders across the United States.

First-In-Class Freedom Begins Builder's Trials

The future USS Freedom (LCS 1), the first ship in the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) class, is underway Monday, July 28, 2008 to begin Builder's Trials in Lake Michigan. Builder's Trials test propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems. (Photo courtesy Lockheed-Martin/Released)

The first ship in the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship class, the future USS Freedom (LCS 1), began Builder's Trials on Lake Michigan July 28.

LCS is a fast, agile, focused-mission ship designed to defeat asymmetric "anti-access" threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft. The 378-foot Freedom is being designed and built by a Lockheed Martin-led industry team.

"Getting Freedom underway is a significant step in the ship's steady progress toward entering the fleet," said LCS Program Manager Capt. James Murdoch. "Freedom has overcome many challenges to reach this important milestone. LCS 1 will add tremendous capabilities to the fleet for our Sailors."

Builder's trials test the vessel's propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems, as well as all related support systems. Following the completion of builder's trials, Freedom will return to Marinette Marine to prepare for acceptance trials that will be conducted by the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey.

The LCS 1 Freedom class consists of two different hullforms – a semiplaning monohull and an aluminum trimaran – designed and built by two industry teams, respectively led by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. The seaframes will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly. These mission packages focus on three mission areas: mine counter measures, surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.

LCS 1 is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy later this year and will be homeported in San Diego.