The amphibious warship Portland (LPD-27) has passed a series of acceptance trials ahead of a planned delivery to the Navy in the fall, according to Naval Sea Systems Command.
NAVSEA commander Vice Adm. Tom Moore was aboard the ship for its trials in the Gulf of Mexico from the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.
“Portland is a well-designed ship that is going to increase our Navy and Marine Corps warfighting capability for years to come,” Moore said.
“The material condition of the ship is fantastic, and the success she had during acceptance trials is a true testament to the men and women that built her.”
The trials included, “dockside checks and continued with demonstrations of several major systems while at sea. Systems tested included main propulsion engineering and ship control systems, combat and communications systems, damage control, food service and crew support. LPD 27 successfully completed a full power run, steering checks, quick reversal, boat handling, anchoring and ballast demonstrations,” according to NAVSEA.
Portland completed builders trials in June.
The 25,000-ton ship is the 11th planned San Antonio-class ship for the service and will be followed by a 12th hull – Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28). Lawmakers provided $1.8 billion in the Fiscal Year 2017 spending plan for an LPD-29.
The San Antonio hull is planned to be the basis for the upcoming next generation LX(R).
“Right now we’re still looking at a requirement for more of those amphibious ships,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson told USNI News in May.
“We’d like to get the LX(R) moving as quickly as we can, that has to be consistent with a mature design and all those things that really kind of guarantee shipbuilding success. So I think that that will be a dynamic conversation this year.”
Portland is planned to commission in 2018 in Portland, Ore.
