Ingalls Shipbuilding hosted U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Bradford Gering, assistant commandant (ACMC) and fellow U.S. Marine Corps officers last Thursday. The Marines met with Ingalls leadership and toured the shipyard, including stops at two of the five amphibious warships currently under construction, Bougainville (LHA 8) and Harrisburg (LPD 30).
"We are honored to host Marine Corps leadership and showcase the critical role our Ingalls shipbuilders play in delivering the amphibious ships that support Navy and Marine Corps missions worldwide,” said Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president. “The amphibious ship program remains a top priority for our team, and we value the opportunity to demonstrate the skill and dedication our shipbuilders bring to every ship we build.”
Ingalls has a long-standing history of building amphibious warships, and the collaboration between Ingalls Shipbuilding, the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps was on full display during the visit.
Commenting on the tour, Gen. Bradford Gering highlighted the importance of amphibious warships.
“The Navy and Marine Corps team relies on these ships for a broad range of missions from peacekeeping and deterrence to combat operations and humanitarian assistance,” said Gering. “Programs like the LHA and LPD are vital to enabling Marine Corps readiness and ensuring our ability to respond quickly to emerging challenges.”
Ingalls currently has two LHAs under construction including Bougainville (LHA 8) and Fallujah (LHA 9) and three Flight II LPDs under construction including Harrisburg (LPD 30), Pittsburgh (LPD 31) and Philadelphia (LPD 32). Additionally, in September 2024, the Navy awarded Ingalls a contract for the construction of three San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships (LPD 33, LPD 34 and LPD 35) and a contract modification for the fifth America-class amphibious assault ship, Helmand Province (LHA 10).