Ingalls Shipbuilding: Ready to Take on More Navy Shipbuilding

USS Fort Lauderdale was translated via Ingalls’ rail car system to the floating dry dock prior to launch. The dock was moved away from the pier and then flooded to float the ship. With the assistance of tugs, USS Fort Lauderdale came of the dock on March 29. HII / Lance Davis

ARLINGTON, Va. — Ingalls Shipbuilding, HII’s builder of surface warships, has the industrial facilities and workforce to add to the capacity of its portfolio, a senior Ingalls official said.

“We have the ability to take on more work that we do today,” said George Nungesser, vice president for program management at Ingalls, speaking May 11 to reporters at the Modern-Day Marine Expo in Washington.

Ingalls’ 11,500 workers are building Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, Legend-class national security cutters, America-class amphibious assault ships (LHAs), and Flight I/II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships (LPDs). They also are activating the combat system of the third Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer.

Nungesser said that Ingalls has three LPDs under construction. LPD 28, the future USS Fort Lauderdale, will sail away from the shipyard for commissioning in July. Nungesser said this LPD represented the best cost and schedule performance to date in the LPD 17 program.

LPD 29, the future USS Richard M. McCool Jr., was launched in January and is 75% complete. Nungesser said it would be delivered to the Navy by the end of 2023.

LPD 29 and LPD 30 are transition ships to the Flight II version of the class.

LPD 30, the future USS Harrisburg, is 25% complete.

Fabrication of LPD 31, the future USS Pittsburgh, is scheduled to begin in September.

LPD 32 has been requested by the Navy in the 2023 budget. However, the budget plan would truncate the LPD 17 program with LPD 32 being the last to be procured. The Marine Corps has listed advance procurement funding of an additional ship, LPD 33, in its Unfunded Priorities List for 2023.

Nungesser said the Navy did a good job with the technology transition to the Flight II ships, including accommodation of the SPY-6(V)2 active electronically scanned array radar and the CH-53K helicopter.

Ingalls completed the post-shakedown availability of the America-class LHA USS Tripoli (LHA 7), work which including modifying the ship to operate F-35B Lightning II strike fighters.

LHA 8, the future USS Bougainville, is 50% complete.

LHA 9 was authorized and funded in fiscal 2021.

Nungesser said that Ingalls has a solid backlog of work in the short term and is working to modernize its facilities and is working closely with its vendors to sustain the industrial base. Ingalls is in discussion with its vendors to get price quotes for LPD 32.

He said that it would be ideal for the workforce to have the LPD production centered on building one every two years and LHA production every four years.

Ingalls wants to be the builder of the future Light Amphibious Warship, Steve Sloan, Ingalls’ LPD program manager, also speaking in the roundtable.