Photo caption: HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered amphibious transport dock Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) to the U.S. Navy on April 11, 2024. Pictured from left to right are SUPSHIP Gulf Coast’s LPD Program Manager Representative Cmdr. James R. Wilkins IV, Ingalls Shipbuilding’s LPD Program Manager Davianne Stokes, and Prospective Commanding Officer for Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) Capt. Jeffrey D. Baker.
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced April 11th the delivery of amphibious transport dock Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) to the U.S. Navy.
Richard M. McCool Jr. is the 13th San Antonio-class (derisively nicknamed Lobbyist Class) ship delivered by Ingalls and is the final Flight I transition ship before Ingalls moves into production of the LPD Flight II line.
“The LPD 29 delivery demonstrates how our shipbuilders are enabling our combined Navy and Marine Corps team,” said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. “It is the most recent example of what U.S. industry and government partnerships can accomplish by putting another player on the field. We will now bring the full weight of this collaborative team to bear on steady-state Flight II execution going forward.”
Ingalls has two Flight II LPDs under construction including Harrisburg (LPD 30) and Pittsburgh (LPD 31). In March 2023, Ingalls was awarded a modification to the contract for the procurement of the detail design and construction of Philadelphia (LPD 32), the 16th ship in the San Antonio class and the third LPD Flight II.