USS Portland (LPD-27)

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.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Portland.

USS Portland (LPD-27)
USS Portland during her sea trials in June 2017
History
United States
NamePortland
NamesakePortland, Oregon
Awarded27 July 2012[1]
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding[1]
Laid down2 August 2013[2]
Launched13 February 2016[1]
Sponsored byBonnie Amos[2]
Acquired18 September 2017[1]
Commissioned14 December 2017[1]
HomeportSan Diego
Identification
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeSan Antonio-class amphibious transport dock
Displacement25,000 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)
PropulsionFour Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 40,000 hp (30 MW)
Speed22 knots (41 km/h)
Boats & landing
craft carried
  • 2 LCACs (air cushion)
  • or 1 LCU (conventional)
Capacity699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total.
Complement28 officers, 333 enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried4 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or 2 MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously.

History

Portland'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
Laser Weapon System (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, USS 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 December 14, 2021, the LaWS successfully destroyed a marine target floating in the Gulf of Aden.[14]

2022

On 27-30 May, Portland and USS Essex (LHD-2) were open to the public as a part of Los Angeles Fleet Week 2022, in San Pedro, California.[15]

Spacecraft recoveries
Orion for Artemis 1 aboard the USS Portland on December 11, 2022

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
  1. "Portland (LPD 27)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Redden, Jim (16 February 2016). "USS Portland launched, local commissioning ceremony still sought". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  5. "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.
  6. Redden, Jim (9 November 2017). "43rd Veterans Day Parade set for Saturday". Portland Tribune.
  7. "Annual parade will march in Hollywood for 43nd year". 1 November 2017.
  8. Heffernan, Jack (12 April 2018). "New Navy ship arrives in Astoria". The Astorian.
  9. "Warship isn't welcome at Portland's waterfront: Guest opinion". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  10. LPD Portland Will Host ONR Laser Weapon Demonstrator, Serve as RIMPAC 2018 Flagship. Megan Eckstein, USNI News. 10 January 2018.
  11. USS Portland Commissioned in Portland, Ore. Ben Werner, USNI News. 22 April 2018.
  12. "USS Portland conducts Laser Weapon System Demonstrator Test". Commander, US Pacific Fleet. 22 May 2020.
  13. ‘A Golden Age For Collaboration’ On Lasers & Microwaves: But Watch The Cheetos!. Breaking Defense. 7 July 2020.
  14. "US Navy fires laser weapon in Mideast amid drone boat threat". Associated Press. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  15. "USS ESSEX (LHD-2)". lafleetweek.com. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  16. "Artemis I Update: Orion Secured Inside USS Portland Ahead of Return to Shore". NASA Blogs. 11 December 2022.
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