USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29)

Richard M. McCool Jr.'s sister ships USS San Antonio and USS New York.
History
Name: USS Richard M. McCool Jr.[1]
Awarded: 23 February 2018[1]
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding
Cost: US$1.4B (FY2017)[2]
Status: Under construction
General characteristics
Class and type: San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock
Displacement: 25,000 tons full
Length:
  • 208.5 m (684 ft) overall,
  • 201.4 m (661 ft) waterline
Beam:
  •   31.9 m (105 ft) extreme,
  •   29.5 m (97 ft) waterline
Draft:     7 m (23 ft)
Propulsion: Four Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 40,000 hp (30 MW)
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h)
Boats & landing
craft carried:
  • Two LCACs (air cushion)
  • or one LCU (conventional)
Capacity: 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total.
Complement: 28 officers, 333 enlisted
Armament:
Aircraft carried: Four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or two MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously.

USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29) will be the 13th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship of the United States Navy.[1][3] She is named after U.S. Navy officer and Medal of Honor recipient Richard Miles McCool, Jr. Richard M. McCool Jr. is under construction at Pascagoula, Mississippi by Ingalls Shipbuilding.[4]

Design

Like her immediate predecessor, USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), Richard M. McCool Jr. will be a "transitional ship" between the current San Antonio-class design and future San Antonio-class Flight II vessels and as such will feature design improvements developed in connection with the Navy's development of San Antonio-class Flight II (which is intended to replace the current Whidbey Island-class and Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ships).[5][6]:(Summary) Richard M. McCool Jr. incorporates the changes that will be introduced in Fort Lauderdale intended to reduce the cost compared to the San Antonio-class, including: simplified bow works, replacement of the forward and aft composite masts with steel masts, removal of structures from the boat valley, and a stern gate which is open at the top. In addition, unlike Fort Lauderdale, Richard M. McCool Jr. will use the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) volume air search radar.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. ↑ Eckstein, Megan (16 February 2018). "Navy Signs $1.4B Contract with Ingalls Shipbuilding for 13th San Antonio". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Navy's Newest LPD to be Named in Honor of WWII Medal of Honor Recipient" (Press release). U.S. Navy. 2 May 2018. NNS180502-12. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Fabrication Begins on Amphibious Assault Ship Richard M. McCool, Jr" (Press release). U.S. Navy. 30 July 2018. NNS180730-29. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Eckstein, Megan (11 April 2018). "Navy Designates Upcoming LX(R) Amphibs as San Antonio-Class LPD Flight II". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  6. ↑ O'Rourke, Ronald (13 April 2018). "Navy LPD-17 Flight II (LX[R]) Amphibious Ship Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Eckstein, Megan (12 January 2018). "Navy Wants FY 2018 Amphib to be First-in-Class LX(R), Not a 14th LPD". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 2 May 2018.

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.


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