Navy Awards $816.6M New York (LPD 21) Contract to Northrop Grumman

U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation an $816.6 million contract for construction of New York (LPD 21), the fifth ship in the 12 ship LPD 17 series of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships. New York will be built at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems' Avondale Operations in New Orleans, with fabrication support from three other company facilities in Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss., and Tallulah, La. The ship will be equipped to conduct amphibious warfare missions by embarking, transporting and landing elements of a landing force during an assault by helicopters, landing craft and amphibious vehicles. "Northrop Grumman Ship Systems has four other San Antonio-class ships under construction at our Gulf Coast facilities, and the class of 'fighting Gators' will constitute a significant element of the sea base and the future of expeditionary warfare," said Dr. Philip A. Dur, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems. "We are honored to build New York." The ship was assigned the name New York to pay tribute to the victims and heroes of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. During a ceremony last year at the USS Intrepid Museum in New York City, then-Secretary of the Navy Gordon England announced the name of the ship. In September 2003, more than 24 tons of World Trade Center steel was melted at a Louisiana foundry to cast the bow-stem of New York. The citizens of New York provided the steel last year for use in the ship's construction. "New York will represent the strength, bravery and perseverance of our nation's citizens, as well as our company's objective of ensuring the security and freedom of our nation and its allies," said Dur. The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships are 684 feet (208.4 meters) long and 105 feet (31.9 meters) wide and will replace four classes of older amphibious ships. Displacing nearly 25,000 tons, these ships will be the second largest in the Navy's 21st Century Amphibious Ready Groups. New York will have a crew of 361 and can carry 699 Marines with a surge capacity of up to 800 Marines. Construction of New York is set to begin in early 2004, with delivery planned by the end of 2007.