The United States Navy (US Navy), together with industry partners, recently held the keel-laying ceremony for the future USS Philadelphia (LPD 32), the 16th amphibious transport dock of the San Antonio class. The ceremony took place on March 3 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding facilities, a division of the American shipyard Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). This milestone marks a key stage in the ship’s construction and symbolizes the transition from design to the physical realization of the vessel that will eventually join the U.S. Navy’s amphibious fleet.
The ship is named after the city of Philadelphia, in recognition of its historical and maritime legacy within the United States. The city is considered the birthplace of both the U.S. Navy and the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and it was also home to the historic Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which operated between 1801 and 1995 and was responsible for building numerous warships for the U.S. Navy.
The keel authentication ceremony is a naval tradition with centuries of history that marks an important milestone in the construction of a ship. On this occasion, the authentication took place when the initials of the ship’s sponsor, Maureen Paparo, were welded onto a steel plate that will later be permanently affixed to the vessel’s hull. Paparo is originally from Philadelphia and is the wife of Admiral Samuel Paparo, who serves as the 27th commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).
During the ceremony, Captain Matthew Tardy, Amphibious Warfare Program Manager at the U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office for Ships (PEO Ships), highlighted the significance of the project. “The future USS Philadelphia honors one of the founding cities of the United States and its continued support for the Navy and the maritime domain,” the officer said, adding that “this keel laying marks the ceremonial beginning of construction, and we look forward to delivering this ship to the fleet.”
Characteristics of the San Antonio-class ships
San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships (LPD) are designed to embark, transport, and land units of landing forces in various expeditionary warfare missions. These platforms can also participate in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, providing the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps with modern sea-based capabilities prepared to operate alongside 21st-century systems.
Among the assets that can operate with these ships are Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft, modern helicopters, and vertical/short takeoff and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey. This combination allows San Antonio-class ships to operate as amphibious power-projection platforms with high levels of interoperability and survivability in complex operational environments.
Construction background
The construction of USS Philadelphia is part of the program to expand the U.S. amphibious fleet. In January 2025, HII announced the start of the ship’s construction process, and it will be one of the vessels configured under the Flight II standard of the San Antonio class. The first ship of this variant was launched in October last year and will soon be incorporated into the U.S. Navy under the name USS Harrisburg (LPD 30).
Currently, Huntington Ingalls Industries is the only shipyard responsible for building this class of ships, having previously delivered units from LPD 17 through LPD 29. The company is simultaneously working on USS Harrisburg (LPD 30), USS Pittsburgh (LPD 31), and USS Philadelphia (LPD 32), while in September 2024 the U.S. Navy signed an agreement worth more than $5.8 billion for the construction of three additional units corresponding to LPD 33, LPD 34, and LPD 35.
Cover image for illustrative purposes.
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