Darren Nelson News

After three days of practice, NASA conducted a stationary recovery test of their latest space craft, the Orion, in the well deck of the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24) while berthed at Naval Station Norfolk's Pier 12 on Aug. 15, 2013. This successful test of the four-man, 16-foot capsule paves the way for future testing of NASA's Orion Program, including a West Coast underway recovery test in January, and the recovery of a low-orbit module following splashdown in the fall of 2014.

'Arlington', following extensive sea trials, is the eighth ship in the LPD 17 class of ships Ingalls has delivered to the Navy. The ship performed well during builder's and U.S. Navy acceptance trials. Ingalls has three more LPDs in various stages of development or construction. Built to be survivable and flexible, these complex warships enable the services to carry out their missions without constraints or additional assets. "The delivery of LPD 24 caps an outstanding year in our amphibious shipbuilding programs," said Ingalls' LPD Vice President Doug Lounsberry.