USS San Antonio (LPD-17) - Ship Event Cover

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Christening Ceremony - USS San Antonio (LPD-17)
July 19, 2025 - Mississippi River - Avondale, Louisiana
View the Northrop Grumman July 19 Headline
Full Size Ship's Patch, Seal and Keel Plaque

Cover and Cachet produced by Greg Mews

The Keel of the USS San Antonio (LPD-17) was laid on December 11, 2025 at the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Avondale Division in Avondale, (New Orleans), Louisiana. The principal speaker at the keel laying was U.S. Representative David Vitter, 1st District, Louisiana. The San Antonio was sponsored by United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas and launched on July 19, 2003. The principal speaker was General Michael W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps. San Antonio is the first ship of the new LPD-17 Class and is the most technologically advanced warship ever built by the U.S. Navy. The ship is scheduled for delivery to the Navy on November 2004. The Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO) is Commander Jonathan M. Padfield of Salt Lake City, Utah.

I have been working on the design and production of USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and the other ships of that class, (12 ships of the class will be constructed) since 1997. The USS San Antonio is 85% complete as of this writing. The keels have been laid for three other ships of the class and they are in various stages of completion. They are the USS New Orleans (LPD-18), USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) and USS Green Bay (LPD-20). The fifth ship of the class is named USS New York (LPD 21) and will incorporate steel from the World Trade Center as a part of her bow stem.

I retired from the U.S. Navy Submarine Service in 1984 and have been working in the SCN Field (Ship Construction New) since that time. I was involved in two previous Naval ship construction projects before coming to New Orleans to work on the LPD-17 Class. They were the MCM (Mine Countermeasures Class) and MHC (Minehunter Class).

USS San Antonio has three vehicle decks, two cargo/ammo magazines, a hanger deck and hanger capable of handling 4 Sea Knight Helicopters, and a well deck which will hold two LCAC Air Cushion Landing Craft. The ship also contains two operating rooms and a 24 person hospital ward.

LPD-17 Class Specifications: Dimensions
*Length Overall - 684 feet*	*Beam - 105 feet*
*Draft - 23 feet*	Full Load Displacement - 24,900 Tons
Accommodations
*Officers - 100 (34 ship - 66 Marine)*	*Enlisted - 1026 (429 ship - 597 troops)*
*CPO/SNCO - 71 (30 ship - 41 Marine)*	*Total Ship Compliment - 1197*
Main Propulsion
*4 Medium Speed Turbocharged Diesels*	*2 Shafts & 2 Reduction Gear Sets*
*2 Inboard Rotating Fixed pitch Props*	*Speed - In Excess of 22 kts*
Weapon Systems
*One - 16 Cell VLS with 64 ESSMs*	*Two - RAM Missile Launchers*
*Three - 25mm Machine Guns*	*Four - 50 Cal Machine Guns*

View the Northrop Grumman July 19 Headline
Full Size Ship's Patch, Seal and Keel Plaque

Sources:
NAVSEA (PMS 317) DET. NEW ORLEANS
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Division