LPD-17 Ship, San Antonio, Sails for the First Time

The LPD 17 USS San Antonio is the first surface ship ever designed in “virtual reality.” . After it revealed in 1996 by then Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton, it was only last week she sailed for the 1st into the Gulf of Mexico for the sea trial:

What impressed me is the ship’s SSDS (SHIP SELF DEFENCE SYSTEM)
and AEMS Mast.

Northrop=Grumman Press Release:

The U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious ship, the future USS San Antonio (LPD 17), sailed from Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ Pascagoula shipyard Friday morning (April 29) to undergo her initial at-sea testing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Update: LPD 17 RETURNS FROM SEA TRIALS — The U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious ship, the future USS SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17), sailed from Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Pascagoula shipyard for the first time on April 29, 2005, for her initial at-sea testing in the Gulf of Mexico. The new ship returned to the shipyard May 3, 2005 for resumption of dockside pre-delivery testing and crew training.