Kacey Roberts
An HII shipbuilding division launched USS Bougainville, the third America-class amphibious assault ship, for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps on Sept. 30.
Early last month, Bougainville was transferred to a dry dock via railcars to the company’s floating dry dock, where the team prepared the ship for its launch into the Pascagoula River in Mississippi, HII said Friday.
The vessel is the first America class ship integrated with a surface assault capability of a well deck and a bigger platform for the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey aircraft. Additionally, the ship has aviation and medical capabilities with operating and triage facilities.
HII delivered the first and second America-class amphibious assault ships in 2014 and 2020, respectively. The next ship in the class, USS Fallujah, is currently under construction at the shipbuilder’s facility in Pascagoula.
