WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today commended the U.S. Navy’s decision to award a shipbuilding contract for LPD 31, a San Antonio-class amphibious ship to be built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. The $1,508,730,501 contract award, which was announced earlier than expected, is intended to help the Mississippi shipbuilder mitigate the destabilizing effects of the coronavirus outbreak on its workforce.

“This is great news for the dedicated men and women of Ingalls Shipbuilding and the many other suppliers who rely upon a stable rate of construction at the shipyard,” Wicker said. “The talented tradespeople in Pascagoula have been continuing the fight to get our Navy the ships it needs, even in the midst of the great uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus epidemic. This contract award will give the shipyard the stability and resources it needs to protect its workers and ensure their continued employment through the duration of this public health and economic crisis.”

Wicker worked with the other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to authorize procurement of LPD 31 and provide incremental funding authority to the Navy in the Fiscal Year 2019 and 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Both of these actions gave the Navy the flexibility to expedite the purchase of the ship.

Wicker is also the author of the SHIPS Implementation Act of 2020, which, among other provisions, would authorize a four-ship block buy of amphibious ships to increase long-term stability for the industrial base and help the Navy save costs. Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula builds both large deck LHA-class amphibious ships and the LPD-class of amphibious ships for the Navy.

LPD 31 will be a 684-foot-long, 105-foot-wide ship that will be used to land Marines, their equipment, and supplies ashore via landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles. The ship also can host helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey.

See more on the U.S. Navy’s announcement here.

Read more about Senator Wicker’s SHIPS Implementation Act here.