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The Huntington Ingalls-built amphibious assault ship “America” left the company’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi on its maiden voyage ahead of the scheduled Oct. 11 commissioning in San Francisco.
“America” is built for a crew of between 1,200 and 1,900 sailors including space for Marine helicopters, F-35 jets and other aircraft, Huntington Ingalls said Friday.
“The sailors and Marines serving aboard ‘America’ have been training hard and working hard to ensure the ship is ready to get underway, and their efforts are now paying off,” said Capt. Robert Hall, commanding officer for “America.”
“We’ll definitely miss the Gulf Coast communities and the outstanding Southern hospitality we’ve been shown since arriving, but we’re looking forward to getting underway, sailing back to our families in San Diego and to joining the fleet.”
“While watching ‘America’ sail away from our shipyard, we know our sailors and Marines have another battle-ready asset with which to perform their missions,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias.
“We’ve built amphibious warships at Ingalls for nearly 50 years, and we look forward to continuing to build them for years to come.”
“America” was delivered to the U.S. Navy on April 10.
