Angeline Leishman
Huntington Ingalls Industries‘ Ingalls Shipbuilding division and the U.S. Navy have completed the builder’s sea trials of the service branch’s 12th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock vessel.
The team evaluated the readiness of the future USS Fort Lauderdale and its systems ahead of the ship’s acceptance trials and inclusion in the naval fleet, the Naval Sea Systems Command said Wednesday.
The Oct. 26 effort consisted of several demonstrations of in-port and at-sea ship operations.
“The completion of Builder’s trials is a great first step in ensuring operational readiness of the vessel and the capabilities it will soon bring to the fleet,” noted Capt. Scot Searles, San Antonio Class Program Office, program manager, Program Executive Office Ships.
As a San Antonio-class vessel, Fort Lauderdale features capabilities for transporting U.S. Marine Corps members and equipment through landing craft, helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft in support of amphibious assault, expeditionary warfare and other military missions.
The ship was christened by Ingalls in August.
The tests come as Ingalls continues to build two more San Antonio-class ships.
