The Chilean Navy’s new landing platform dock (LPD) the Magallanes has just been launched at a shipyard in Talcahuano.
The first of four planned LPDs , the 110-metre multipurpose vessel has been designed by Canadian company Vard Marine and is being constructed by state-owned shipbuilder ASMAR; she is expected to enter service some time next year.
The launch of the 8,000-ton warship took place at ASMAR’s Talcahuano yard in the Biobío region of central Chile, which lies just over 300 miles south of Santiago.
As per an Armada de Chile press statement, the launch of Magallanes is a milestone moment in the Chilean Ministry of National Defense’s Continuous National Naval Construction Plan (PNCCN); Thursday’s ceremony was attended by VIPs including the country’s President José Antonio Kast.
Once she enters service the new warship will fulfill a number of roles including evacuation and disaster response, and logistics, transporting both troops and equipment to isolated regions.
As per a press statement, she and her sister ships will “significantly increase the projection and sustainment capacity of the Chilean Navy.”
Its Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Fernando Cabrera Salaza, commented: “This is tremendously important because the navy needs to meet the requirements of having a presence across the country’s three continents: Polynesia, Antarctica, and the Americas.
“We are very pleased because today we are launching a ship, the LPD Magallanes, but perhaps tomorrow we will be able to consolidate an industry for the State in collaboration with academia, the private sector, and the government.”
ASMAR director Rear Admiral Miguel Hernández added: “The National Naval Construction Policy reminds us that building a ship in Chile not only allows the Navy to incorporate new capabilities; it also allows us to preserve knowledge, train specialists, activate suppliers, transfer technology, and strengthen an industrial base that generates value beyond the budget that finances it.”
Magallanes will now enter a final outfitting phase ahead of planned sea trials prior to her entry into active service.
- You can read more details on the Chilean Navy website