Amphibious Assault Ship USS America Departs Brazil, Continues On Maiden Transit

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Naval Forces News - USA
 
 
 
Amphibious Assault Ship USS America Departs Brazil, Continues On Maiden Transit
 
The future amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) departed Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 9 after a four-day port visit. This was the crew's third stop on the ship's maiden transit, "America Visits the Americas" as the ship continues to make its way from Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi to its homeport of San Diego. The crew first visited Cartagena, Colombia and then Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
     
The future amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) departed Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 9 after a four-day port visit. This was the crew's third stop on the ship's maiden transit, "America Visits the Americas" as the ship continues to make its way from Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi to its homeport of San Diego. The crew first visited Cartagena, Colombia and then Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
RIO DE JANEIRO (Aug.5, 2014) The future amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) approaches Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, for a scheduled port visit. America is traveling through the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet areas of responsibility on its maiden transit, "America visits the Americas."The ship is scheduled to be ceremoniously commissioned Oct. 11 in San Francisco. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Scorza/Released)
     
While in Brazil, the ship hosted a reception in the ship's hangar bay for more than 450 guests. The distinguished guests included Liliana Alayde, U.S. ambassador to Brazil, as well as senior Brazilian, U.S. government and military officials. America is also scheduled to visit Chile and Peru where the crew will continue enriching partnerships through a variety of interactions with the host nations.

America is the first ship of its class, replacing the Tarawa-class of amphibious assault ships. As the next generation "big-deck" amphibious ship, America will be optimized for aviation and capable of supporting current and future aircraft, such as the tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey and the Joint Strike Fighter.

The ship will provide flexible, multi-mission capabilities spanning from forward-deployed crisis response to maritime security operations.

America is 844 feet long, 106 feet wide and hosts a displacement of 44,971 long tons. Her propulsion system will drive it to speeds in excess of 22 knots, and she will accommodate a crew size of more than 1,100 Sailors and nearly 1,900 embarked Marines.

America is scheduled to be commissioned late 2014 in San Francisco.