What New Military Ships were Commissioned in 2017?

SIT has been a part of many navy projects to provide moveable ramps, icebreaker doors, ballast systems, moon pool doors and LARs (launch and recovery systems). We are always keeping up with what’s going on in the navy industry, and per a report from We Are the Mighty –the navy commissioned the following in 2017:

1. A new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) commissioned in June, USS Gabrielle, was built at Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, AL. This ship was named after former US representative Gabrielle Giffords who was shot during a mass shooting in 2011.  The ship primarily is built for speed, but also has the SeaRAM point-defense system and a 57mm gun.
2. The USS John Finn is the first of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to be built after the Navy switched to a different design of Zumwalt destroyers for the remaining 3 ships. This ship was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS and named after a sailor who received a medal of honor for his heroic acts during the Pearl Harbor attack.
3. The USS Gerald R. Ford was the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier of its class and commissioned in July 2017. This aircraft carrier was built in the Newport News shipyard and is now the world’s largest aircraft carrier.
4. Built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, ME, the USS Rafael Peralta is the 65^th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and is named for a recipient of the navy cross for actions taken during Operation Iraqi Freedom. This ship is capable of carrying out Integrated Air and Missile Defense, Undersea Warfare and Surface Warfare.
5. An Expeditionary Mobile Base (ESB) was commissioned and named Lewis B. Puller in honor of Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell Puller, a distinguished veteran of the Banana Wars, World War II and the Korean war. This is the first military ship to be commissioned in foreign territory at Khalifa bin Salma Part in Al Hidd, Bahrain. It will act as a floating base or transfer station to support amphibious warfare ships and surface combatant warships.
6. The USS Washington, a Virginia-class submarine was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and is nuclear-powered. It is the fourth of the Block III submarines, having started construction in 2011 until it was commissioned in October 2017.
7. The 11^th San Antonio-class amphibious ship, the USS Portland, was commissioned in December 2017. It was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding, and named after the city of Portland, Oregon.
8. Finally, the USS Little Rock is the 5^th LCS (littoral combat ship) of its class, commissioned in December and built at Marinette Marine in Marinette, WI. It obtained the highest score of any Freedom-class LCS and earned the right to fly brooms atop her mast to signify a clean sweep of sea trials.

As you can see from above examples, the Navy has been investing in a variety of  ship classes to ensure our fleets maintain the ability to protect our nation and our freedom.  Looking for support with movable structures within a vessel? SIT has you covered with its team’s vast amount of experience, they have the ability to provide solutions for the most complex projects.

Check out some of our military projects on our website.