USS Portland (LPD-27) is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship of the United States Navy, named after the U.S. city of Portland, Oregon. The ship was laid down in 2013, launched in 2016 and commissioned in 2018. The ship was armed with a Laser Weapon System for testing.
.jpg) USS Portland during her sea trials in June 2017
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Portland |
| Namesake | Portland, Oregon |
| Awarded | 27 July 2012[1] |
| Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding[1] |
| Laid down | 2 August 2013[2] |
| Launched | 13 February 2016[1] |
| Sponsored by | Bonnie Amos[2] |
| Acquired | 18 September 2017[1] |
| Commissioned | 14 December 2017[1] |
| Homeport | San Diego |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in active service |
| Badge | _ship%27s_crest.png) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock |
| Displacement | 25,000 long tons (25,000 t) full |
| Length | |
| Beam |
|
| Draft | 7 m (23 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion | Four Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 40,000 hp (30,000 kW) |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | |
| Capacity | 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total. |
| Complement | 28 officers, 333 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 4 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or 2 MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously. |
Construction and career
editPortland's keel was laid down on 2 August 2013, at the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship's sponsor is Bonnie Amos, wife of U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General James F. Amos.[2] Portland was launched on 13 February 2016,[1][3][4] and she was delivered to the Navy on 18 September 2017.[5] She was commissioned on 14 December 2017,[1] but her commissioning ceremony was not held until 21 April 2018, when she was in the city of Portland for the festivities.[6][7][8] The commissioning ceremony was protested by a number of local anti-war groups, who opposed a warship being named after the city.[3][9]
Laser weapon system
edit-15)_in_November_2014_(05).JPG)
(LaWS)
A next-generation follow-on to the AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System (LaWS) was slated for integration onto Portland as a technology demonstration[10] after the decommissioning of USS Ponce, which carried the LaWS before it, and was installed at the end of 2018.[11] In May 2020, Portland successfully destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with the solid-state laser, Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) MK 2 MOD 0[12] with a power level of 150 kW.[13] On 14 December 2021, the LaWS successfully destroyed a marine target floating in the Gulf of Aden.[14]
2022
editOn 27–30 May, Portland and USS Essex were open to the public as a part of Los Angeles Fleet Week 2022, in San Pedro, California.[15]
Spacecraft recoveries
edit
Portland was assigned as the recovery ship for the Orion capsule of the Artemis 1 uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission, successfully completed on 11 December 2022. The spacecraft's floating Orion capsule was pulled into the flooded well deck at the stern of the vessel off the coast of Baja California.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Portland (LPD 27)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ a b c Havens, April M. (2 August 2013). "First Lady of Marine Corps authenticates LPD 27 keel at Ingalls Shipbuilding's Pascagoula yard". The Mississippi Press. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ a b Elise Herron (21 April 2018). "As the Navy Christens a New Warship the USS Portland, Democratic Socialists Say It's Warmongering". Willamette Week. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ Redden, Jim (16 February 2016). "USS Portland launched, local commissioning ceremony still sought". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "Huntington Ingalls Industries Delivers Amphibious Transport Dock Portland (LPD 27) to U.S. Navy" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ Redden, Jim (9 November 2017). "43rd Veterans Day Parade set for Saturday". Portland Tribune.
- ^ "Annual parade will march in Hollywood for 43nd year". 1 November 2017.
- ^ Heffernan, Jack (12 April 2018). "New Navy ship arrives in Astoria". The Astorian.
- ^ "Warship isn't welcome at Portland's waterfront: Guest opinion". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ Eckstein, Megan (10 January 2018). "LPD Portland Will Host ONR Laser Weapon Demonstrator, Serve as RIMPAC 2018 Flagship". USNI News. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Werner, Ben (22 April 2018). "USS Portland Commissioned in Portland, Ore". USNI News. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "USS Portland conducts Laser Weapon System Demonstrator Test". Commander, US Pacific Fleet. 22 May 2020.[dead link]
- ^ Freedburg, Sydney A. Jr. (7 July 2020). "'A Golden Age For Collaboration' On Lasers & Microwaves: But Watch The Cheetos!". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "US Navy fires laser weapon in Mideast amid drone boat threat". Associated Press. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ "USS ESSEX (LHD-2)". lafleetweek.com. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ "Artemis I Update: Orion Secured Inside USS Portland Ahead of Return to Shore". NASA Blogs. 11 December 2022.
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.
External links
edit
- Priolo, Gary P. (28 November 2011). "USS Portland (LPD-27)". Amphibious Photo Archive. NavSource Naval History.