USS San Diego (LPD 22) arrived in her homeport and namesake city to the cheers of family and friends Apr. 6, 2012, after several memorable firsts on the Navy’s newest LPD:
The ship has four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters. Alternatively, two MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously. The ship’s hangar can store 1-2 aircraft. For defense, the ship has two 30 mm Close-in-Guns, for surface threat defense, and two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers for air defense. Its crew consists of 360 Sailors (28 officers, 332 enlisted) and 3 Marines.
The principal mission of LPD 17 class amphibious transport dock ships is to transport and deploy the necessary combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades. The ship will carry approximately 720 troops and have the capability of transporting and debarking air cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing craft and Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles (EFV), augmented by helicopters or vertical take off and landing aircraft (MV 22). These ships will support amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions through the first half of the 21st century.
Here are some pictures taken at it’s homecoming, April 6th, 2012:
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and author of two technology training books for middle school. She wrote Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a tech columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for ISTE’s Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she’s editing a thriller for her agent that should be out to publishers this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office, WordDreams, or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
