Tag Archives: USS Harrisburg (LPD 30)

Pascagoula ship spotting

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On my most recent trip back to the old childhood stomping grounds in Pascagoula, I made my regular pilgrimage to The Point (the rough site of the old USCG station and Pascagoula River Lighthouse) and gazed out upon HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding to see who is in the water.

Looking out to the Ingalls West Bank, which was created in the 1970s for the Spruance class DDs, Tico class CGs, and Tarawa class LHAs. Photo: Chris Eger

In the water at the mouth of the Pascagoula River under the big bird crane is PCU USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), a Flight III Burke, which launched on 25 March 2025 and is fitting out. Note another Burke behind her, perhaps the future USS George M. Neal (DDG-131), which is nearing launch later this year. Photo: Chris Eger

Next, afloat in the Pascagoula River proper, is the future USS Bougainville (LHA-8), the first Flight I America-class Lightning carrier. There has been a building LHA or LHD in this stretch of the river my entire life, and I am in my 50s! Photo: Chris Eger

The big 45,000-ton ‘phib began construction in 2018, has been in the water since 2019, and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in August 2026. Needs lots more topside work on that island before then. Photo: Chris Eger

Then there is the future USS Harrisburg (LPD 30), the first Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. Laid down in 2022, she took to the water last January and is fitting out. Photo: Chris Eger

Further upstream is the scratch-and-dent old spaceship, USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), looking very rough just months before her 10th birthday as a “commissioned” warship. Note, her forward Advanced Gun Systems house has been removed to clear space for four launchers intended for the Dark Eagle Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) missile, with each canister capable of holding three missiles. Photo: Chris Eger

And in the old WWII-era East Bank, in one of the circa 1960s submarine berths, is the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128), a Flight III Burke scheduled to be commissioned this Fall in Whittier, Alaska. Photo: Chris Eger

Also, Kevin’s Corner is still making great burgers.

First LPD 17 Flight II Hits the Water

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The future USS Harrisburg (LPD 30) was launched at Ingalls in Pascagoula on 4 October. This is important as, besides being the 14th of her class, she is the first San Antonio (LPD-17) Flight II class amphibious transport dock ship to float.

She will be the Navy’s second warship named after the Pennsylvania capital city, with the first, the former passenger liner SS City of Paris, serving as a 10,500-ton auxiliary cruiser during the SpanAm War that captured at least one Spanish merchantman and later served as a troop transport in the Great War.

There are a ton of improvements on the Flight II San Antonios, so much that they probably should be considered a new class. Keep in mind that LPD-17 entered the fleet 18 years ago, and some 200 significant evolutionary changes from that baseline are incorporated in LPD-30, including an advanced continuous 360-degree AN/SPY-6(V)2 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar with 9 RMAs, essentially giving her the same sensor capability of a Ford-class CVN and outclassing the fits on Ticos and Flight I Burkes especially when it comes to anti-ship threats and air traffic control.

Ingalls currently has two Flight II LPDs under construction including Harrisburg (LPD 30) and Pittsburgh (LPD 31). Pre-construction activities are currently underway for the construction of Philadelphia (LPD 32), the 16th ship in the San Antonio class. Can you tell Pennsylvania is a battleground state?

Further, in case you missed it, the Pentagon te last month green-lit a massive $9.4 billion two-hit series of awards to Ingalls for three additional LPD-17 FIIs as well as an America class Flight I ship that will essentially be the replacement for the 2020 lost Bon Homme Richard.

For the record, emphasis mine.

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $5,798,767,376 fixed-price incentive (firm-target) contract for detail, design, and construction (DD&C) of three amphibious transport dock ships (LPD) Flight II (LPD 33, LPD 34, and LPD 35). Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (79%); Crozet, Virginia (4%); Beloit, Wisconsin (2%); Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (1%); Gulfport, Mississippi (1%); Peoria, Illinois (1%); Ayer, Massachusetts (1%)7; and other locations less than 1% (11%), and is expected to be completed by September 2035. Fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $449,000,000 (99%); and fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,000,000 (1%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-24-C-2473).

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $3,673,365,244 fixed-price incentive (firm-target) modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-24-C-2467) to definitize the advance procurement of long lead time material procurement and procure the detail design and construction and special studies in support of one amphibious assault ship (general purpose) replacement America class Flight 1 ship. This contract modification includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $3,894,958,311. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (80%), Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (3%), Brunswick, Georgia (2%); Beloit, Wisconsin (2%); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1%); King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (1%); Cincinnati, Ohio (1%); and other locations less than 1% (10%), and is expected to be completed by September 2033. If all options are exercised, work will continue through March 2035. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $115,000,000 (99%); and fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $203,039 (1%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.