Keel of USS Philadelphia Authenticated by HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding

Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel  for the future USS Philadelphia (LPD 32), a Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship.

The ceremony included ship sponsor Maureen Paparo, a Philadelphia native, who was joined by her spouse, Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Also, attending the ceremony was Chris Kastner, HII’s president and CEO, Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president and key U.S. Navy officials.

As part of the ceremony, Ingalls Structural Welder Cory Dillon etched the sponsor’s initials into a ceremonial steel plate, a long-standing naval tradition symbolizing the ship’s official start of construction. The plate will remain permanently affixed to Philadelphia throughout its service life.

LPD 32 is one of three Flight II San Antonio-class ships currently under construction at Ingalls. Flight II ships are designed to replace the aging Whidbey Island-class (LSD 41) and Harpers Ferry-class (LSD 49) dock landing ships. These vessels will serve as a cornerstone of the Navy’s 21st-century expeditionary force, supporting Marine and Navy operations in humanitarian aid, disaster relief, maritime security and military missions.

Ingalls Shipbuilding is the sole builder of San Antonio-class ships and to date has delivered 13 LPDs to the U.S. Navy. Ingalls is currently constructing three Flight II vessels: Harrisburg (LPD 30), Pittsburgh (LPD 31), and Philadelphia (LPD 32) and has received contracts for the construction of LPD 33, LPD 34 and LPD 35.