BAE Systems has signed an $87-million contract with the US Navy to repair the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD-50).
The restoration will focus on major updates to the Hall’s hull, internal fuel and ballast tanks, and engineering plant.
Maintenance and preservation work will take place at BAE’s shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, which also serves as the ship’s homeport. About 1,000 shipyard employees and dozens of subcontractor partners are expected to participate in the project.
“Our team looks forward to working with the Navy to perform the substantial sustainment work necessary to ensure the Carter Hall remains a highly capable amphibious combatant ship,” BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair vice president and general manager David M. Thomas Jr. said.
Additional repair program options, if exercised, would bring the contract’s cumulative value to $92 million.
Work for the restoration will begin in July.
The USS Carter Hall
Commissioned in 1995, the LSD-50 was integrated into the US Navy to transport and launch amphibious craft, vehicles, crews, and personnel for amphibious assault missions while serving as the operations’ primary control ship.
The ship can carry 420 sailors and up to 500 marines, with the capacity to transport 15 amphibious assault vehicles and 4 M1 Abrams tanks at a time.
Its main armaments include 25 mm Mk 28 cannons, 20 mm Phalanx close-in weapon mounts, and .50-caliber M2HB machine guns.
Its most recent deployments include an eight-month combat readiness and crisis response expedition spanning the North Atlantic, Eastern Mediterranean, Baltic, Red Sea, and Arabian Gulf regions.
