AVONDALE, LA (NNS) -- The future USS Green Bay (LPD 20) completed Acceptance Trials on Aug. 1, sailing from and returning to the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) shipyard in New Orleans.
Green Bay is the fourth ship of San Antonio class to be presented to the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) for acceptance. This is the final major milestone prior to the shipyard delivering this amphibious transport dock ship to the Navy.
"The completion of acceptance trials is a major step towards bringing LPD 20 into the fleet, and we look forward to ship delivery in August," said Capt. Bill Galinis, LPD 17 program manager. "Green Bay performed very well on trials and continued a trend of improving performance as the class matures and more ships are prepared for the Fleet."
During the Acceptance Trials, NGSB successfully demonstrated a variety of systems including main propulsion, engineering and ship control systems, combat systems, damage control, food service and crew support. Among the highlights of the trial, Green Bay successfully completed a full power run, self-defense detect-to-engage exercises, ballasting, deballasting, and steering and anchor handling demonstrations. The multidimensional capabilities of the Shipboard Wide Area Network, the "electronic backbone" of the ship, were also demonstrated during all phases of the trial.
In addition to the INSURV team, Navy experts from Naval Sea Systems Command, the LPD 17-class Program Office and the Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast participated in the trials. Among the most excited ship riders were those Sailors from Green Bay's crew who will be moving aboard the ship in late August shortly after delivery.
The future USS Green Bay is scheduled for commissioning in Long Beach, Calif., early next year. The ship will then join USS New Orleans (LPD 18) as the second of the class to be homeported in San Diego.
The next ship in the class, New York (LPD 21), is also at the NGSB yard in Avondale, La., preparing for sea trials next year. San Diego (LPD 22), Anchorage (LPD 23) and Arlington (LPD 24) are all under construction at Northrop Grumman Gulf Coast shipyards. Meanwhile, USS San Antonio (LPD 17) has been training with its Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) in preparation for deployment; USS New Orleans' next milestone will be Final Contract Trials; and USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) is preparing for shock trials.
