The U.S. Navy's USNS Spearhead (T-EFTP 1), crewed by civilian mariners from Military Sealift Command, returns to the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Norfolk, Virginia looking a little rough around the edges but all-in-all in pretty good shape. The return marks the completion of a five-month deployment in support of Africa Partnership Station 2016. Perhaps … [Read more...]
U.S. Navy’s New Fast Transport Ships Can’t Stand Buffeting From High Seas
By Tony Capaccio (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Navy is spending millions of dollars to repair new high-speed transport ships built by Austal Ltd. because their weak bows can’t stand buffeting from high seas, according to the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester. “The entire ship class requires reinforcing structure” to bridge the twin hulls of the all-aluminum catamarans because of … [Read more...]
U.S. Navy Accepts Delivery of Fourth Joint High Speed Vessel
The Navy recently accepted delivery of the fourth Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), the future USNS Fall River, from Austal USA. This ceremony was marked on September 15th, following completion of the builder’s and acceptance trials in July. The ship has a crew of 22 civilian mariners responsible for operating and navigating the vessel, which will be part of the Military … [Read more...]
Will Black-Hulled Ships Become the U.S. Navy’s New Best Friend?
Fiscal austerity is here to stay, commented Rear Admiral Thomas Shannon, Commander of the United States Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) while speaking at a meeting of the Washington, DC Propeller Club recently. “It’s our new reality.” Despite this reality, global demand for US naval presence remains high. Maritime forces continue to face challenges and adversaries … [Read more...]
U.S. Navy’s First JHSV Departs on Maiden Deployment
The U.S. Navy's first joint high-speed vessel departed Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Ft. Story in Virginia Thursday on its maiden deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility. USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) is expected to remain in U.S. 6th Fleet until May 2014 and sail to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility through the end of fiscal year 2014. While … [Read more...]
LCS 4 Completes U.S. Navy Acceptance Trials
Austal Shipbuilding announced today that their second Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship, the Coronado (LCS 4) successfully completed Acceptance Trials (AT) on August 23, 2013. As the last significant milestone prior to the ship's delivery in September, Austal notes the Acceptance Trials are a series of "intense comprehensive tests by the Navy" to demonstrate the … [Read more...]
Ship Photos of The Day – U.S. Navy’s JHSV-1 Hits 40 Knots
The Military Sealift Command joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) this week conducted high-speed trials off the coast of Virginia, reaching speeds of approximately 40 knots. The 338-foot-long aluminum catamarans are designed to be fast, flexible and maneuverable, even in shallow waters, making them ideal for transporting troops and equipment quickly within a … [Read more...]