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San Antonio a ‘Ship of Firsts’
Story Number: NNS030729-16
Release Date: 7/29/2003 9:12:00 PM
By Chief Journalist David Nagle, Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs
NEW ORLEANS (NNS) -- The christening of the amphibious transport dock ship San Antonio (LPD 17) July 19 marked a significant milestone for this cutting-edge and groundbreaking naval warship.
“From its inception in 1988, LPD 17 has been on the frontier of naval shipbuilding,” remarked Rear Adm. Charles Hamilton II, program executive officer for ships at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (NGSS) Avondale Operations in New Orleans, at the christening ceremony. “She is a ship of firsts, built upon the philosophy of ‘do it right the first time.’”
San Antonio is, indeed, a “ship of firsts." Besides being the lead ship of this new class of amphibious ship, it is the first ship named in honor of the city of San Antonio.
San Antonio is the first surface ship designed in "virtual reality,” using computer modeling to design most of the ship before any steel was ever cut. Additionally, by involving the warfighter in the design process from the keel up, the design team and shipbuilders are creating a ship that will best meet the needs of the 21st Century Navy and Marine Corps operators, maintainers and trainers who will ultimately use the ship.
It is the first ship designed to support the Marine Corps' “mobility triad” of Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicles, Landing Craft Air Cushion and the tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey aircraft. It is also the first ship class equipped with the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor (AEM/S) system. This unique, streamlined mast design replaces conventional masts, protecting radar and communications antennas from weather, and allowing their electronic signals to pass through. The AEM/S, the largest composite material structure ever installed aboard a U.S. Navy steel ship, will help reduce the ship’s vulnerability to detection by hostile radar.
In addition to cutting edge technology, the San Antonio-class has been on the forefront with innovative acquisition solutions. The LPD 17 Program Office at the Washington Navy Yard moved the bulk of its personnel to Avondale to establish a satellite program office at the shipyard, to facilitate ship design and production with the shipbuilder and other industry partners.
“For the first time in shipbuilding history, representatives from the Navy, NGSS and Raytheon worked, and continue to work, side by side to foster the open environment and sharing of information so crucial to this ship’s success,” said Hamilton.
Another acquisition “first” was the June 2002 memorandum of understanding, spearheaded by Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition John Young, between NGSS and Bath Iron Works, that approved the swap of four LPD 17 ships from Bath to NGSS’ Ingalls and Avondale shipyards, in exchange for construction of additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyers at Bath Iron Works.
“By building the entire LPD 17 class at [NGSS’s] Gulf Coast shipyard facilities, this strategy will dramatically reduce risk, stabilize more than $20 billion of shipbuilding work and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of this program,” Hamilton said.
Although San Antonio is more than a year away from joining the fleet, it is already making its mark as a “ship of firsts.”
For related news, visit the Naval Sea Systems Command Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/navsea.
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