The structural assembly and weld out of the steel to erect the Navy’s first Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) has been completed, General Dynamics [GD] said yesterday.
Construction of the ship at its NASSCO yard in San Diego is on schedule and budget and will meets its delivery time from in the second quarter of 2013, General Dynamics said.
The final block for the ship consisting of the exhaust stacks and weighing 277 short tons was lifted on to the MLP by a crane and installed on Aug. 17. The final structural welds were completed Aug. 31 and underwent a government inspection.
NASSCO plans to undock the future USNS Montford Point Nov. 13.
“With this ship, we have further reduced construction time and applied improvements that have increased the efficiency of our workforce,” said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO.
The Navy ordered three of the MLP ships from General Dynamics. They are designed to be forward staging platforms to provide rapid support to the fleet, or as a base for operations.
NASSCO began construction on the second MLP, the USNS John Glenn, earlier this year. It is scheduled for delivery in early 2014.