HII delivers amphibious landing dock to U.S. Navy

PASCAGOULA, Miss., May 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has formally taken delivery of a 10th San Antonio-class amphibious landing dock from Huntington Ingalls Industries.

The John P. Murtha is 684 feet long and 105 feet wide. It will be used to embark and land U.S. Marines, their equipment and supplies ashore via air cushion or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

"Today [Friday] we delivered our 10th LPD, and we have at least two more ships to complete in this class," said Richard Schenk, Ingalls' vice president, program management, who signed the official DD 250 delivery document. "John P. Murtha is the culmination of four years of tireless efforts on the part of thousands of our shipyard employees and our Navy partner."

The John P. Murtha is named after a former member of Congress from Pennsylvania and decorated Marine Corps veteran.

An 11th LPD -- the Portland -- is under construction by HII's Ingalls ShipbuiIding division and is scheduled to be christened at the end of the week. The Navy has given the company $300 million in advance procurement funding for the 12th ship in the class, the Fort Lauderdale.