Sponsor Bonnie Amos Revisits LPD 27 at Ingalls Shipbuilding

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted Gen. James Amos, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and ship's sponsor Mrs. Bonnie Amos to meet with shipbuilders on the amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27).

"Today, I thanked the Ingalls shipbuilders who are building LPD 27, and I got a promise from every one of them that this will be the very best ship in the fleet," said Mrs. Amos, who visited Ingalls for the ship's keel-laying ceremony in August. "The fact this ship is going to carry our Marines and sailors and perform vital missions for the nation is pretty remarkable. When you add that component of Marines being able to do the nation's bidding off this ship, it is even more impressive."

Gen. Amos added, "I came to the Ingalls shipyard for one overriding reason: to thank the men and women here who help keep our amphibious forces at sea. As the importance of forward presence only grows, even in an era of tighter budgets, we're counting on the American patriots who build our ships to deliver us all the amphibious capability the nation can afford."

LPD 27, named in honor of Oregon's most populated city, is currently 10 percent complete and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in 2017. Ingalls is also building John P. Murtha (LPD 26), currently at 45 percent complete. Somerset (LPD 25) was delivered to the U.S. Navy on Oct. 18 and will be commissioned on March 1, 2014, in Philadelphia.

The 11 ships of the LPD 17 class are a key element of the Navy's ability to project power ashore. Collectively, they functionally replace more than 41 ships (the LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113 and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships), providing the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable and built to operate with 21st century platforms, such as the MV-22 Osprey.