- USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) arrived at the Port of Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the morning of November 8, 2025.
- The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock supports the movement and deployment of Marine units by sea and air.
The USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, arrived at the Port of Ponce in Puerto Rico during the morning hours of November 8, 2025.
The ship was seen mooring at Muelle de Ponce between 7:39 and 7:59 a.m., according to local observation of the vessel’s movement.
The USS Fort Lauderdale is part of the U.S. Navy’s amphibious force structure. Amphibious transport docks of this class are designed to embark, transport and land Marine units and their equipment by sea and air.
The platform is configured to support the movement of forces ashore through a combination of landing craft, aircraft and surface connectors. The ship’s design includes a flight deck that supports rotary-wing aircraft operations and a well deck that can launch and recover landing craft, allowing Marine units to move from ship to shore in contested or permissive environments.
In past statements describing the role of San Antonio-class amphibious ships, the Navy has emphasized that the class supports a wide range of missions, including expeditionary warfare, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
The USS Fort Lauderdale, operated by the U.S. Navy, is part of an amphibious fleet intended to enable the Marine Corps to deploy forces rapidly during crises. The ability to move Marine units by sea remains central to the Marine Corps’ expeditionary identity, which relies on forward positioning, flexible logistics and the capacity to operate from maritime platforms without reliance on fixed bases.
The presence of the ship in Ponce comes as the Navy continues to maintain maritime presence, readiness and mobility throughout the Caribbean region.