USS John P. Murtha
_(37282228774).jpg) USS John P. Murtha on 22 August 2017
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | John P. Murtha |
| Namesake | John Murtha |
| Awarded | 1 April 2011[1][3] |
| Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding[1] |
| Laid down | 6 February 2012[1] |
| Launched | 30 October 2014[1] |
| Sponsored by | Donna S. Murtha |
| Christened | 21 March 2015 |
| Acquired | 13 May 2016[1] |
| Commissioned | 8 October 2016[2] |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | Make A Difference[4] |
| Status | in active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock |
| Displacement | 25,000 tons full |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Draft | 23 ft 0 in (7 m) |
| Propulsion | Four Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 40,000 hp (30,000 kW) |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | |
| Capacity | 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total. |
| Complement | 32 officers, 364 enlisted[1] |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | Launch or land two UH-1 helicopters. |
USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) is the 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship of the United States Navy, and is named in honor of Congressman John Murtha (1932–2010) of Pennsylvania. John P. Murtha is homeported at Naval Base San Diego.[1][5]
History
On 9 April 2010, Secretary of the Navy
The contract to build John P. Murtha was awarded to Ingalls Shipbuilding on 1 April 2011.[3] John P. Murtha's keel was laid down on 6 June 2012 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.[7] The ship was launched on 30 October 2014,[8][9] christened five months later on 21 March 2015, delivered to the Navy on 13 May 2016, placed in active service on 11 August 2016, and commissioned on 8 October 2016.[2] The ship was sponsored by Congressman Murtha's daughter, Donna S. Murtha.[10]
Naming controversy
The decision to deviate from the naming convention for the class, which prior to John P. Murtha had been named after cities or locations,
The resulting report, released in 2015, demonstrated a consistent tradition of naval secretaries making "occasional exceptions" to established ship-naming conventions, beginning in 1798 when Navy Secretary Benjamin Stoddert broke with naming convention by naming one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy as USS Chesapeake.[12]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "John P Murtha (LPD 26)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Navy to Commission Amphibious Transport Dock John P. Murtha" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Ingalls Shipbuilding Awarded U.S. Navy Contract Worth $1.5 Billion to Build Company's 10th San Antonio-Class Amphibious Transport Dock". Huntington Ingalls Industries. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
- ^ "USS John P. Murtha: Ship Crest". U.S. Navy. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ Quach, Hoa (11 February 2016). "San Diego to Be Homeport for New USS John P. Murtha". Times of San Diego. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Chinara, Lucas (23 April 2010). "SECNAV Announces Name of LPD 26, USS Murtha" (Press release). Navy News Service. NNS100423-10. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Havens, April M. (6 June 2012). "Ingalls Shipbuilding authenticates keel on LPD 26 John P. Murtha". The Mississippi Press. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ Clary, Gareth (30 October 2014). "Watch Ingalls Shipbuilding launch America's next amphibious transport dock John P. Murtha (LPD 26)". GulfLive.com. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ "Ingalls Shipbuilding Launched Amphibious Transport Dock John P. Murtha (LPD 26)". 2 November 2014.
- ^ "Ingalls Shipbuilding Christens Amphibious Transport Dock John P. Murtha (LPD 26)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). 21 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Robins, Gary (8 December 2011). "Naming of warships causing dissent in Congress". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ a b c Olson, Wyatt (19 June 2015). "From Hope to Giffords: The Navy's long history of unconventional ship names". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
Further reading
- Priolo, Gary P. (28 November 2011). "USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26)". Amphibious Photo Archive. NavSource Naval History. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
External links
Media related to USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) at Wikimedia Commons
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