The Big Picture: Harrisburg (LPD 30) has completed its first fuel on-load (FULO), successfully loading 175,000 gallons of fuel onto the ship from a barge.
- Fueling a ship isn’t just about adding fuel — it’s about proving systems are complete, working and ready to support critical testing
Why It Matters: This milestone clears the way for tests on the ship’s generators and main engines — the systems that will bring the ship to life.
- Shipbuilders completed, tested and demonstrated dozens of fuel and safety systems across multiple crafts before a single drop of fuel could be loaded
What to Know:
- Safety First: Before fueling, teams completed and activated the ship’s Fire Fighting Systems, including AFFF and Water Mist systems in Machinery Spaces
- Systems Ready: More than 600 signals were tested and ventilation — including A/C, supply and exhaust — was completed in key spaces
- Tank Completion: All fuel storage, service, overflow and oily waste tanks were closed out and the Fuel Transfer System was finalized
- Team Effort: Crafts across Test, Electrical, Pipe, Sheet Metal, Joiner, Machinery, Paint, Hull, Ships Management and more worked in tight coordination with support teams, Engineering and the customer to make it happen
In Their Words:
- Kirk Boudreaux, Test & Trials Superintendent: “The most important aspect of FULO is safely onloading fuel on the ship, but this milestone is also a critical step to supporting the next stages in testing the ship’s generators and main engines. The teamwork, coordination and dedication demonstrated by all crafts involved with this fueling was impressive.”
About the Ship:
- U.S. Navy’s 14th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship and the first Flight II in the class
- Ingalls is the sole provider of LPD 17 San Antonio-class ships and has delivered LPDs 17-29 to date
- Named after Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital city, and commemorates the city’s rich history and longstanding support of the United States military
- Supports expeditionary warfare, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as many other missions
Photo Caption: Pictured are electricians Aria Evans, Jose Balzac, George Bradley, Eddie Leverette, and Carlo Shelborne; electrical specialists Victor Mendez and Jose Negron, and James Grady, foreman, Electrical.