San Diego will be home to a new amphibious landing ship set to be commissioned this summer, the U.S. Navy announced Thursday.
Navy officials say USS John P. Murtha will be homeported at Naval Base San Diego. The vessel is a San Antonio-class amphibious landing ship currently being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Its namesake, John P. Murtha, served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 41 years and was a Vietnam Veteran.
According to the Navy, stationing amphibious landing ships like USS John P. Murtha in a West Coast port adds to the Navy’s robust maritime force and “supports the rebalance to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, placing our most advanced capabilities and greater capacity in that vital theater.”
By 2020, the Navy says about 60 percent of its ships and aircraft will be based in the region.
The Navy says LPDs are used to transport and land U.S. Marines, their equipment and supplies. The ships also support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions and can serve as secondary aviation platforms for amphibious ready groups.
For updates on the progress of USS John P. Murtha, visit the vessel’s Facebook page.
Local
Congresswoman Susan Davis, who represents the 53rd Congressional District, which includes La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley and parts of San Diego, El Cajon and Chula Vista released a statement Friday regarding news of the USS John P. Murtha homeporting in San Diego.
Davis is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, serving as the Ranking Member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee.
“I was proud to learn that the USS Murtha was going to call San Diego its home. John was a friend, a colleague, and valuable member of the House Armed Services Committee,” said Davis.
“His commitment to the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces and to the nation he served was undeniable. I know that the sailors who will serve aboard the USS Murtha will enjoy being homeported in San Diego and will be proud to be associated with a vessel bearing his name,” she added.
