Special Report

Iconic Warships and Submarines Built by Huntington Ingalls

Chris Lange

Published: December 6, 2023 8:00 am

U.S. Carrier Strike Group 12 has been deployed to the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel in an attempt to add stability to the region despite the ongoing Hamas-Israeli conflict. This strike group consists of a few destroyers, a cruiser, and the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier — arguably the most advanced aircraft carrier on the planet. One of the largest U.S. military shipbuilders recently finished this Ford-class aircraft carrier and there are more on the way.

Huntington Ingalls, via its shipyard Newport News Shipbuilding, built the Gerald R. Ford and every Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Newport News is currently one of two outfits that the U.S. Navy uses to build its nuclear submarines. This shipbuilding company has a storied history with its ships participating in all of the major wars of the 20th century. (These are the most produced aircraft by any nation in WW2.)

To identify the most iconic warship and submarine classes built by Huntington Ingalls, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed various historical and military sources. We ordered these classes chronologically. We included supplemental information from Military Factory and various other sources regarding type, number built by Huntington Ingalls, and notable ships.

The Gerald R. Ford is the most recent of the Ford-class aircraft carriers to be completed. Two other carriers in this class are on the way, the John F. Kennedy and Enterprise. These carriers are meant to carry a complement of at least 75 aircraft, fighter jets, and rotary-based aircraft. (This is every aircraft carrier in U.S. Navy history.)

As for the nuclear submarines, Huntington Ingalls produces only part of the submarines and the rest is completed at a General Dynamics facility. The Virginia-class and Los Angeles-class submarines are notable nuclear submarine classes these companies have produced.

In all, Huntington Ingalls produced over 30 different classes of warships and submarines, including battleships and aircraft carriers. 

Here is a look at all the warships and submarine classes built by Huntington Ingalls

Kearsarge-class

USS Kearsarge BB-5 1901 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Harley Flowers

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1898
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: Kearsarge, Kentucky

Illinois-class

USS Illinois 1906 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Harley Flowers

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1898
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Illinois

Arkansas-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Monitor
• First year built: 1900
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Arkansas

Pennsylvania-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Cruiser
• First year built: 1903
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: West Virginia, Maryland

Virginia-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1904
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Virginia

Tennessee-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Cruiser
• First year built: 1906
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: North Carolina, Montana

Connecticut-class

USS Minnesota, 1920, Panama Ca... (CC BY 2.0) by Richard

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1907
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Minnesota

Delaware-class

Source: library_of_congress / Flickr

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1909
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Delaware

New York-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1912
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Texas

Pennsylvania-classes

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1915
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Pennsylvania

New Mexico-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1917
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Mississippi

Wickes-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• First year built: 1918
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 6
• Notable ships: Lamberton, Montgomery, Radford, Gamble

Clemson-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• First year built: 1920
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Abel P. Upshur

Colorado-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1920
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: Maryland, West Virginia

Northampton-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Cruiser
• First year built: 1929
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: Houston, Augusta

Ranger-class

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 1933
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Ranger

Yorktown-class

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 1936
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 3
• Notable ships: Yorktown, Enterprise, Hornet

Brooklyn-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Cruiser
• First year built: 1936
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Boise

Sims-class

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Destroyer
• First year built: 1938
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: Mustin, Russell

South Dakota-class

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Battleship
• First year built: 1941
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Indiana

Essex-class

Source: Keystone / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 1942
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 9
• Notable ships: Essex, Yorktown, Intrepid, Hornet

Midway-class

Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 1945
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: Midway, Coral Sea

Des Moines-class

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Cruiser
• First year built: 1948
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Newport News

Forrestal-class

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 1954
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: Forrestal, Ranger

George Washington-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Submarine
• First year built: 1959
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Robert E. Lee

Skipjack-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Submarine
• First year built: 1960
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Shark

Enterprise-class

CVN 65 - USS Enterprise (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Dan Liebgold

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 1960
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Enterprise

Kitty Hawk-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 1964
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 2
• Notable ships: America, John F. Kennedy

Nimitz-class

Source: Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 1972
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 10
• Notable ships: Nimitz, Abraham Lincoln, Harry S. Truman, George H.W. Bush

Virginia-class

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Cruiser
• First year built: 1974
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 4
• Notable ships: Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas

Los Angeles-class

USS Providence (SSN 719) trans... (CC BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Page

• Type: Submarine
• First year built: 1974
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 29
• Notable ships: Los Angeles, Indiana, Miami

Virginia-class

Source: usnavy / Flickr

• Type: Submarine
• First year built: 2000
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 22
• Notable ships: Virginia, California, Texas, South Dakota

Ford-class

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• First year built: 2013
• Total ships built by Huntington Ingalls: 1
• Notable ships: Gerald R. Ford