Article Posted on : - Jul 24, 2014

Amphibious assault ship America (LHA 6) as it sails away from Ingalls Shipbuilding, on Friday, July 11, 2014. Photo: Shane Scara/HII.

PASCAGOULA (BNS): Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded an affordability design contract for USD 23.5 million for early industry involvement to reduce the construction and life-cycle cost for the amphibious assault ship LHA 8.

"We are committed to building affordable ships, and this contract begins industry involvement in a meaningful way to implement improved cost in amphibious shipbuilding, specifically LHA 8," Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias was quoted as saying in the company news release.

The early industry involvement contracts were awarded to U.S. shipyards that have the facilities and resources to build a large-deck amphibious assault ship without major recapitalisation.

Ingalls delivered its first amphibious assault ship, the Iwo Jima-class USS Tripoli (LPH 10), in 1966. Ingalls has since built five Tarawa-class (LHA 1) ships and eight Wasp-class (LHD 1) ships and recently delivered the first in a new class of amphibious assault ships, America (LHA 6).