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For other ships with the same name, see USS Portland.

USS Portland during her sea trials in June 2017

History
United States
NamePortland
NamesakePortland, Oregon
Awarded27 July 2012[1]
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding[1]
Laid down2 August 2013[2]
Launched13 February 2016[1]
Acquired18 September 2017[1]
Commissioned14 December 2017[1]
Home portSan Diego
Identification
MottoFirst Responders Brave and Determined[3]
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class & typeSan Antonio-class amphibious transport dock
Displacement25,000 long tons (25,000 t) full
Length
Beam
  • 31.9 m (104 ft 8 in) extreme,
  • 29.5 m (96 ft 9 in) waterline
Draft7 m (23 ft 0 in)
Installed power40,000 hp (30,000 kW)
PropulsionFour Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts
Speed22 knots (41 km/h)
Boats & landing
craft carried
  • 2 LCACs (air cushion)
  • or 1 LCU (conventional)
Capacity699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total.
Complement28 officers, 333 enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried4 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or 2 MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously.

USS Portland (LPD-27) is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship of the United States Navy, named after the U.S. city of Portland, Oregon. The ship was laid down in 2013, launched in 2016 and commissioned in 2018. The ship was armed with a Laser Weapon System for testing.

Construction and career

[edit]

Portland's keel was laid down on 2 August 2013, at the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship's sponsor is Bonnie Amos, wife of U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General James F. Amos.[2] Portland was launched on 13 February 2016.[1][4][5] She was delivered to the Navy on 18 September 2017.[6]

She was commissioned on 14 December 2017.[1] Her commissioning ceremony was held on 21 April 2018, when she was in the city of Portland for the festivities.[7][8][9] The commissioning ceremony was protested by a number of local anti-war groups, who opposed a warship being named after the city.[4][10]

Laser weapon system

[edit]

Laser Weapon System
(LaWS)

A next-generation follow-on to the AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System (LaWS) was slated for integration onto Portland as a technology demonstration[11] after the decommissioning of USS Ponce, which carried the LaWS before it, and was installed at the end of 2018.[12] In May 2020, Portland successfully destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with the solid-state laser, Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) MK 2 MOD 0[13] with a power level of 150 kW.[14] In December 2021, the LaWS successfully destroyed a marine target floating in the Gulf of Aden.[15]

On 27–30 May, Portland and USS Essex were open to the public as a part of Los Angeles Fleet Week 2022, in San Pedro, California.[16]

Spacecraft recoveries

[edit]

The Orion capsule from Artemis 1 aboard USS Portland on 11 December 2022

Portland was assigned as the recovery ship for the Orion capsule of the Artemis 1 uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission, successfully completed on 11 December 2022. The spacecraft's floating Orion capsule was pulled into the flooded well deck at the stern of the vessel off the coast of Baja California.[17]

On 19 March 2026, it was reported that USS Boxer-led Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) was deploying ahead of schedule to support Operation Epic Fury. It would be joined by Portland and USS Comstock. The ARG would join the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group that is already underway. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) has embarked on the ARG ships which will sail through the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East. There are around 2,500 Marine Corps personnel of the total of 4,000 service members in the fleet. The sailors and Marines have shortened their leave following certification and training in order to accelerate their deployment.[18][19]

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Portland (LPD 27)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 Havens, April M. (2 August 2013). "First Lady of Marine Corps authenticates LPD 27 keel at Ingalls Shipbuilding's Pascagoula yard". The Mississippi Press. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "USS Portland (LPD 27)". The Institute of Heraldry. U.S. Army. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 Elise Herron (21 April 2018). "As the Navy Christens a New Warship the USS Portland, Democratic Socialists Say It's Warmongering". Willamette Week. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Redden, Jim (16 February 2016). "USS Portland launched, local commissioning ceremony still sought". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Huntington Ingalls Industries Delivers Amphibious Transport Dock Portland (LPD 27) to U.S. Navy" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Redden, Jim (9 November 2017). "43rd Veterans Day Parade set for Saturday". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017.
  8. ↑ "Annual parade will march in Hollywood for 43nd year". 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  9. ↑ Heffernan, Jack (12 April 2018). "New Navy ship arrives in Astoria". The Astorian. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Warship isn't welcome at Portland's waterfront: Guest opinion". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  11. ↑ Eckstein, Megan (10 January 2018). "LPD Portland Will Host ONR Laser Weapon Demonstrator, Serve as RIMPAC 2018 Flagship". USNI News. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  12. ↑ Werner, Ben (22 April 2018). "USS Portland Commissioned in Portland, Ore". USNI News. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  13. ↑ "USS Portland conducts Laser Weapon System Demonstrator Test". Commander, US Pacific Fleet. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020.
  14. ↑ Freedburg, Sydney A. Jr. (7 July 2020). "'A Golden Age For Collaboration' On Lasers & Microwaves: But Watch The Cheetos!". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  15. ↑ "US Navy fires laser weapon in Mideast amid drone boat threat". Associated Press. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  16. ↑ "USS ESSEX (LHD-2)". lafleetweek.com. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  17. ↑ "Artemis I Update: Orion Secured Inside USS Portland Ahead of Return to Shore". NASA Blogs. 11 December 2022.
  18. ↑ Vic Verbalaitis (19 March 2026). "Trump Plotting to Send Thousands More Troops to His War". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  19. ↑ Newdick, Thomas; Trevithick, Joseph (20 March 2026). "USS Boxer The Second Amphibious Assault Ship Now Heading To Middle East (Updated)". The War Zone. Retrieved 21 March 2026.