USS San Antonio ( LPD - 17 ) USS " San Antonio " ( LPD - 17 ) , the lead ship of her class of amphibious transport dock or landing platform dock , is the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city of San Antonio , Texas . The ship is designed to deliver up to 800 Marines ashore by landing craft and helicopters . Construction and commissioning . The construction contract was awarded on 17 December 1996 to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of New Orleans , Louisiana and the keel was laid down on 9 December 2000 . The ship was launched on 12 July 2003 and christened on 19 July by Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison . She was originally scheduled to be commissioned 17 July 2002 , but was delayed by poor performance at the Avondale shipyard , which resulted in her being towed from New Orleans to the Northrop Grumman shipyard at Pascagoula , Mississippi , in December 2004 for completion . The ship was unable to move under her own power at that time , despite having been christened more than a year earlier . The crew took delivery and moved aboard three days before Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005 . Work was delayed further when the ship became a base for regional relief efforts , including accommodations for some shipyard workers , the National Guard , Navy diving and salvage personnel and government officials . The ship ' s final cost was $ 840 million over budget . The ship arrived in her homeport of Norfolk , Va . , on 18 December 2005 . The ship was finally commissioned 14 January 2006 , at NS Ingleside Texas under the command of Captain Jonathan M . Padfield . Guest speakers included former U . S . President George H . W . Bush . Senator Hutchison , the ship ' s sponsor , gave the crew the customary first command , " Man our ship , and bring her to life ! " Improvements . San Antonio is the first U . S . Navy vessel to incorporate new crew comfort features , including bunks with increased headroom , in - rack fans , and pull - out laptop computer shelves . She is also the largest U . S . Navy vessel to incorporate stealth features , with close attention paid to exterior shaping . Ship ' s Coat of Arms . The colors of the shield and star are adapted from the Texas state flag . The star also commemorates the " Lone Star " and first ship to bear the name San Antonio . Red is the color for valor and sacrifice , blue is for loyalty and white , purity of purpose . The Alamo honors the heroes who offered their lives to ensure the freedom of Texas . The bluebonnet s refer to the beauty and majesty of Texas and the olive branch highlights the ship ' s peacekeeping mission . The trident and cannon represent the old and new weaponry . The cannon balls and nineteenth century cannon were similar weapons used by the brave men that defended the Alamo . The trident , symbol of sea prowess , also represents the " mobility triad " that USS " San Antonio " is built for . The crossed Navy and Marine Corps swords represent cooperation and teamwork of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps . First deployment . Mission . USS " San Antonio " served as a flagship for Combined Task Force 151 , the multi - national anti - piracy naval force off Somalia . The ship acted as an Afloat Forward Staging Base ( AFSB ) for the following force elements : During its time off Africa , the crew boarded 20 foreign vessels . The crew discovered hidden explosives on one of the vessels . The ship returned to Norfolk on 27 March 2009 . Problems and incidents . Nearly three years after commissioning , problems persist with this first - in - class vessel . On 27 January 2006 , a contract worth over $ 6 million was awarded to Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding , for the Post - Shakedown Availability of USS " San Antonio " . Work was expected to be completed by April 2007 . On 22 June 2007 , Secretary of the Navy Donald C . Winter sent a letter to Northrop Grumman outlining problems with the ship , from leaks to steerage issues , stating , " Twenty - three months after commissioning of LPD 17 , the Navy still does not have a mission - capable ship . On 27 August 2008 , " San Antonio " was unable to deploy as scheduled with the Expeditionary Strike Group ( ESG ) , due to a mechanical failure in the stern gate of her well deck , which would prevent proper loading and deployment of landing craft . The problem was fixed and San Antonio deployed two days late , on 29 August 2008 . Two months into her maiden deployment , " San Antonio " had been forced to undergo an unplanned maintenance stop in Bahrain due to leaks in its lube oil piping system . During inspections in summer 2009 it was found that over 1 , 000 feet of piping had to be replaced . In late November the ship ' s four diesel engines were out of commission and needed to be re - inspected after metal shavings were found in the engine ' s main reduction gears from when the shipyard workers at the shipbuilder , Northrop Grumman Ship Systems had improperly welded the piping . During a February 2009 transit of the Suez Canal , with both engines at full power , one engine suddenly went into reverse , sending the vessel careening out of control and narrowly missing hitting other ships and running aground . In response to these problems the Navy finally got approval to hire sufficient Supervisor of Shipbuilding officers in 2009 . In October 2010 , the Department of Defense released a report outlining numerous engineering flaws in the San Antonio . A top aide in the Department of Defense was quoted as saying that Northrop Grumman ' s ships are " not effective , suitable and not survivable in combat " . The report also blamed Raytheon Co . , a subcontractor providing fiber optics , electrical and anti - missile systems for the San Antonio , for " persistent engineering deficiencies . " During an anti - piracy mission in February 2009 , one of the ship ' s crew , Petty Officer 1st Class Theophilus K . Ansong , 34 , of Bristol , Virginia , was killed in a small boat accident in the Gulf of Aden . The ship ' s captain , Commander Eric C . Cash , was reprimanded over the incident at an admiral ' s mast by Admiral J . C . Harvey Jr . , the commander of Fleet Forces Command . Another officer , Lieutenant Commander Sean Kearns , the ship ' s executive officer refused a mast over the same incident and was court - martialed in October and November 2010 . During the trial , his defense team presented evidence of the ship ' s numerous deficiencies and lack of written procedures as contributing to the accident . Kearns was acquitted of the charges on 5 November 2010 . Kearns stated that the ship ' s officers had been pressured by the Navy to declare the ship ready to deploy even though they knew that it still had significant , unresolved problems . In April 2011 - after nearly two years of constant repair work at various shipyards in Norfolk , VA - the Navy started an investigation into the constant mechanical and engineering issues with " San Antonio " . The Executive Director of the Regional Maintenance Activity ( RMC ) , Thomas J . Murphy , managing the work was relieved and transferred , as were the senior Waterfront Operations personnel . The Navy said that two contractors , Earl Industries , the prime contractor , and Fairbanks Morse , the engine manufacturer , were unwilling or unable to provide complete documentation into what was fixed on the ship and how . As a result the Navy suspended Norfolk Ship Support Activity ' s oversight authority . On 6 May 2011 , the Navy canceled its maintenance contract with Earl Industries , citing , " improper work performed and concern regarding Earl Industries ' quality assurance program and the company ' s ability to control the quality and documentation of work it performs . " On 26 May 2011 , after 10 days of sea trials , the ship ' s Captain , Commander Thomas Kait , declared the ship ' s power plants fit for duty . The ship completed the trials on 15 June 2011 and was scheduled for a short training deployment from July to August 2011 . In July 2011 the U . S . S . San Antonio ' s Diesel Engine ' s intercoolers were found to be mechanically deficient after the ship failed to gain full power causing the ship to return to be repaired . The repairs also found deficiencies in work performed by Earl Industries . The repairs were completed on 3 August 2011 . As of August 2011 , the Navy now says that all problems with the ship ' s engines have been corrected including " foreign material exclusion plugs left in the drain piping system , use of incorrect material and improper installation and sealing of gaskets " . Award . In March 2012 , the ship was awarded the Navy ' s Battle Effectiveness award . In winning the award , the ship beat out four other amphibious ships , and will have a big " E " painted on her superstructure . August 2013 Deployment . In late August 2013 Washington confirmed that the USS " San Antonio " had entered into the eastern Mediterranean Sea . They stressed it was a long - planned action and not related to the arrival of destroyers which had been stationed there due to the conflict in Syria , but officials thought it prudent to keep the ship near the destroyers given the situation . In early October 2013 , Al Qaeda operative Abu Anas al - Libi was seized in Libya and then transferred to the USS " San Antonio " to await transport to the United States for a trial and questioning . References . This article contains information from the Naval Vessel Registry and various other U . S . Navy Web sites .