Tag Archives: USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29)

Ingalls Update

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Had a chance to swing by my old childhood stomping grounds at “The Point” in Pascagoula and captured some snapshots of the Navy’s newest under construction at HII.

This included the 13th and final Flight I San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, the future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29), fitting out post-delivery at the yard’s historic deep-water East Bank, where the old LPHs and the last American-made cruise ships were completed.

The future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29). She carries the AN/SPY-6(V)2 EASR rotating radar. Photo by Chris Eger

Note her hangar arrangement with 21-cell Mk 49 RAM GMLS launcher to starboard and 30mm Mk 46 Mod 2 Gun Weapon System (GWS) to port. Photo by Chris Eger

As well as a good shot of her bow, with the ‘Richard McCool” nameplate over her bridge next to her SLQ-32 EW system. Photo by Chris Eger

While the drydock is empty, the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), the 78th Burke, a Flight III vessel, is fitting out. Note her AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System, which has a much different look from the old Flight I and II Burkes.

The future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128). Note the bow of a building Burke to her portside and an LPD behind her. Photo by Chris Eger

Meanwhile, further down the Pascagoula River is the future Flight I America-class big deck gator, USS Bougainville (LHA-8), which was launched last October. The first in her class with a well deck, Bougainville should rightly be classified as LHD-9, but nobody cares what I think.

The future USS Bougainville (LHA-8) fitting out. Photo by Chris Eger

And the ever-troubled 15,000-ton Zumwalt-class “destroyer” PCU Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002), which was awarded 13 years ago and took to the water in 2018 but has not been commissioned as of yet. She has been in Pascagoula now for three years where her 155 mm/62 Mark 51 Advanced Gun System (AGS) will be removed and replaced by planned LRHW hypersonic missile tubes. As you can tell, her guns are still installed, so there is that.

PCU Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002). Photo by Chris Eger

Meanwhile, across the mud lumps over at the old Naval Station Pascagoula on Singing River Island, two new (to them) MSC Ready Reserve Force sealift ships were tied up, M/V Cape Arundel and M/V Cape Cortes, formerly the M/V Honor and M/V Freedom. These 50,000-ton RORO vehicle carriers have been homeported there since last October.

NS Pascagoula was envisioned in the 1980s to base a battleship action group but only ever got to homeport some NRF short hull FFGs and a couple old non-VLS Ticos, so it is nice to see 100,000 tons of Something finally kept there. Photo by Chris Eger

I SPY with my little eye…

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The future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) recently successfully completed builder’s sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico. Not your typical San Antonio-class gator, LPD 29 is equipped with the first SPY-6(V)2 in the fleet. The Raytheon-produced SPY-6(V)2 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) features air traffic control and ship self-defense capabilities and will be carried by future big-deck phibs and retrofitted to Nimitz-class carriers during refits.

Ingalls Shipbuilding image

Ingalls Shipbuilding image

Ingalls Shipbuilding image

As noted by Ingalls:

Ingalls Shipbuilding has delivered 12 San Antonio-class ships and currently has three LPDs under construction, including Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29); Harrisburg (LPD 30), the first Flight II LPD; and Pittsburgh (LPD 31). LPD Flight II is the next generation amphibious ship to replace Whidbey Island (LSD 41) and Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) classes of dock landing ships.

Swung by Ingalls on Sunday…

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Visited my old Pascagoula stomping grounds at “The Point,” which juts out into the Pascagoula River towards Singing River Island (the old NAVSTA Pascagoula) and is framed by the WWII-era Ingalls East Bank and the Cold War-era Ingalls West Bank.

A couple of new sights to see.

The first of class guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) arrived at Ingalls on Saturday to start a two-year process to install a quartet of 87-inch (diameter) hypersonic missile tubes instead of her failed 155mm gun system. Each tube will hold a trio of Army-Navy joint Common Hypersonic Glide Bodies (C-HGB), for a total of 12 missiles on the ship. These will augment the ship’s 80 MK 57 VLS modules aft, each capable of carrying everything the MK 41 VLS can except an SM-2ER.

All photos by Chris Eger, and please note as such if reused elsewhere. 

Commissioned 15 October 2016, hopefully, Zumwalt will be combat-ready with her hypersonics around 2026. (Photo: Chris Eger)

Down the river from Zumwalt is her younger sister, the PCU USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002), which left Bath on “sea trials” in January 2022 and is expected to enter service with her hypersonics possibly in 2024.

I always thought the Zumwalts had superb hangar facilities and they can reportedly carry two MH-60Rs and three MQ-8 Fire Scouts at the same time. (Photo: Chris Eger)

Near LBJ on the old Singing River is PCU USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29), the 13th and final Flight I San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, which is fitting out.

She has several changes from the rest of her class including an Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) volume air search radar, simplified bow works, and a stern gate that is open at the top. McCool will likely be commissioned later this year or early next year, and the Marines really need her.

Near McCool is the future USCGC Calhoun (WMSL-759), the tenth Legend-class National Security cutter.

She just completed her acceptance sea trials early this month and should be leaving for commissioning soon in Charleston, her future homeport. This will leave only the USCGC Friedman (WMSL-760) under construction and a planned 12th NSC still uncertain.

When it comes to Burkes, the Navy’s first Flight III of the class, future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), is on hand and looking great, with the Navy already in possession of the greyhound and expected to leave in October for her commissioning. To the rear of Lucas, with her glad rags flying, is the newly christened PCU USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), the 78th Burke, which just took to the water last week and only picked up her name the Saturday before this snap was shot.

If you look at DDG-125’s bridge, force protection is already active and ready to go with some M240s on the wings, as it should be.