The Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship, the San Diego-based USS America, arrived in San Francisco on Monday in preparation for its commissioning ceremony Saturday during that city’s Fleet Week.
During the port visit, America’s crew is scheduled to participate in several community outreach events at various local schools and at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
The ship recently completed its maiden transit, “America Visits the Americas,” where the crew engaged in cooperative maritime security operations with Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, El Salvador and Peru in order to foster regional security.
The Navy officially accepted delivery of America from Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., in April. It is the fourth ship bearing the name, but is the first of its class, replacing the Tarawa-class of amphibious assault ships.
As the next-generation “big-deck,” America is optimized for aviation, capable of supporting current and future aircraft such as the tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey and F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.
