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Northrop lauds LPD-17 test success

Shipbuilder Northrop Grumman declared a “clean sweep” after the Navy’s third LPD-17-class amphibious ship completed a series of builder’s trials in the Gulf of Mexico.

“These were very successful builder’s trials,” spokeswoman Debbie McCallum said Aug. 17. “We’re very pleased.”

The Mesa Verde is the third ship of the long-troubled San Antonio class of 25,300-ton amphibious dock ships, but is the first to be built at Northrop’s Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. Most of the ships are being built at the company’s Avondale shipyard near New Orleans.

Northrop delivered the San Antonio to the Navy in July 2005, but the ship continues to suffer from a number of shipyard deficiencies and is not expected to deploy until late next year.

The second ship, New Orleans, was delivered last December but, like the San Antonio, also in an incomplete condition.

But the shipbuilder declared the Mesa Verde to be in a far better state than the previous ships.

“Prior to sea trials, the ship’s compartments were 100 percent complete and sold to the U.S. Navy, and all systems were completed and tested 100 percent to pre-trial requirements,” the company said in a statement released Aug. 17. “All pretrial system certifications were completed prior to trials. The ship was completely painted, cleaned, and fully operational to support full habitability requirements for trials riders, including berthing and feeding of over 900 government and civilian personnel.”

The Mesa Verde’s builder’s trials were held Aug. 13-16.

During the trials, Northrop said, “rigorous testing was performed on the ship’s main propulsion, communications, steering, navigational, radar and other systems. Other exercises included anchor handling, flight operations, compartment air balancing and ballasting-deballasting of the well deck, where amphibious landing craft will be launched.”

Official Navy acceptance trials will be held in mid-September, Northrop said.