AT NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
The U.S. Navy will commission the dock landing ship Carter Hall (LSD 50) at 10
a.m., Saturday, September 30, at the Downtown Riverwalk in New Orleans,
Louisiana.
Commandant of the Marine Corps General Charles Krulak will be the ceremony's
principal speaker.
The ship is named for the Virginia colonial estate which once served as the
Governor's home. One previous ship was named Carter Hall. It was a dock
landing ship (LSD 3) that earned six battle stars for service during World War
II and five during the Vietnam War.
Carter Hall is the tenth dock landing ship of the Whidbey Island Class, and
the second of the Class built as a cargo variant. The cargo variant is
designed with additional stowage area and carries two Landing Craft Air Cushion
(LCAC) vehicles, instead of the standard four. Overall, 12 dock landing ships
have been authorized by Congress to be built. LCACs are assault landing craft
capable of exceeding 40 knots while carrying a 60-ton payload. The primary
mission of the dock landing ship is to project naval power ashore by
transporting landing force elements and assault vehicles to an objective area
and provide command, control, and communication in support of amphibious
operations, "Forward ... From the Sea."
Carter Hall is 609 feet in length, has a beam of 84 feet and displaces 16,820
tons. Commander Rand D. LeBouvier, USN, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, will
be the ship's first commanding officer. The ship will be home ported in Little
Creek, Virginia.
