USS ARLINGTON (LPD 24), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, named for Arlington, Virginia, the location of the Pentagon and the crash site of American Airlines Flight 77. Like her sister ships, USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) and USS SOMERSET (LPD 25), she is named in commemoration of the attacks to remember those who lost their lives and honor the First Responders at the Pentagon on 9/11. Steel recovered from the Pentagon after the September 11th attacks is displayed aboard the ship’s Honor Room.
ARLINGTON’s keel was laid down on 26 May 2008, at Northrop Grumman’s Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Builder’s Trials of the ship started on 21 August 2012 and were completed on 30 August 2012. She completed Navy Acceptance Sea Trials on 2 November 2012. The US Navy formally accepted the ship on 7 December 2012 and the crew moved aboard.
USS ARLINGTON arrived at her homeport of Naval Station Norfolk on 22 March 2013 in preparation for commissioning. Officially, she was commissioned on 8 February 2013, but her ceremonial commissioning occurred on 6 April 2013 at Naval Station Norfolk.