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Defensenews.com | Jun. 1, 2012 - 03:41PM | By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS



Huntington Ingalls’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., got a major new construction job to build the USS Tripoli (LHA 7), a
big-deck assault ship for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The ship will be an aviation-centric assault ship, doing away with
the floodable well deck found in other LHA and LHD assault ships to provide more room for aircraft.

The $2.38 billion fixed-price incentive detail and design contract comes after several advance contracts totaling $312 million,
adding up to $2.7 billion for shipyard work.

The Tripoli will displace 45,000 long tons on a length of 844 feet and beam of 106 feet. In addition to a crew of 1,059,
berthing will be provided for 1,687 Marines, and the ships will be powered by a gas turbine propulsion plant similar to that
installed in the Makin Island (LHD 8). The new ships will operate F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, MV-22 Osprey tilt rotors and the
full range of Marine Corps helicopters.

Delivery of the Tripoli is scheduled for June 2018.