LHA 8 keel laying at HII

PASCAGOULA, Miss - The keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Bougainville (LHA 8) was held at the Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Pascagoula shipyard on March 14. The ship’s sponsor, Ellyn Dunford, wife of Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, authenticated the keel by welding her initials into the keel plate. Bougainville is the third ship of the America (LHA 6) class of amphibious assault ships. LHA 8 is the first Flight I ship of the America class, and designed to support the Marines ashore. It also will be able to accommodate Marine Corps' F-35Bs and MV-22 Ospreys. HII-Pascagoula is currently in production on Tripoli (LHA 7), guided missile destroyers Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), and amphibious transport dock ships, Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) and Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29). The shipyard is under contract for six Flight III Arleigh Burke class destroyers awarded as part of the FY-18/22 multi-year procurement. (Source: US Navy 03/14/19)