Article Posted on : - Mar 26, 2011

The future USS Arlington (LPD 24). Photo: US Navy

WASHINGTON (BNS): US Navy will christen the newest amphibious transport dock ship, Arlington on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Designated LPD 24, Arlington is the eighth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class.

The ship will support the Marine Corps “mobility triad,” which consists of the landing craft air cushion vehicle, amphibious vehicles and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Arlington will provide improved war fighting capabilities, including an advanced command-and-control suite, increased lift-capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship-survivability features. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.

Two previous ships have also carried the name Arlington. The first was a steel-hulled C1-B type cargo ship operating during World War II. The second USS Arlington was a 14,500-ton Vietnam War era, major communications relay ship.

The 24,900-ton ship is 684 feet in length, has an overall beam of 105 feet, and a navigational draft of 23 feet.

The ship is named for the city of Arlington, honouring the 184 victims in the air and on the ground who lost their lives when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon Sept. 11, 2001.

Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of former Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, is the ship’s sponsor, and in accordance with Navy tradition, will break a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship.