Harrisburg, Pa. — Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer has named the next San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, LPD 30, in honor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, according to a statement from Spencer’s public affairs office.
“The people of central Pennsylvania have always played a critical role in forging the strength of our Navy and fighting to defend our nation,” Spencer said. “The future USS Harrisburg will carry on this legacy to every part of the world.”
LPD 30 will be the second U.S. Navy vessel named after the city. The first was a troopship acquired by the Navy during World War I that served in commission from May 29, 1918, to Sept. 25, 1919. That ship also served with the Navy in the Spanish-American War under another name.
The capital of Pennsylvania, the Harrisburg-Carlisle metropolitan statistical area is home to several Defense Department facilities, including the Naval Support Activity, Mechanicsburg. During the Civil War, Camp Curtin, located in what is now the Uptown area of the city, served as the largest camp during the conflict with more than 300,000 enlistments passing through its gates.
San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions and can serve as secondary aviation platforms for amphibious ready groups. LPD 30 will be the first Flight II San Antonio class ship, serving as the functional replacement for the aging LSD 41/49 Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships.
The ship provides the Navy with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable and built to operate with modern-day transformational platforms, such as the MV-22 Osprey and amphibious assault vehicles.
USS Harrisburg will be built at Huntington Ingalls Industries, Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship will be 684 feet long, have a beam length of 105 feet and be capable of operating at speeds in excess of 22 knots.
