The following is text from news releases issued by Austal Ltd.:
(MOBILE, Ala.) — Austal USA’s expeditionary fast transport (EPF) team finalized the delivery of USNS Carson City (EPF 7) to the U.S. Navy during a small document-signing event held on board the ship here on Friday.
The EPF program provides the Navy with a new high-speed, intra-theater transport capability. The 338-foot-long Carson City is an aluminum catamaran capable of transporting 600 tons 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots, and is designed to operate in austere ports and waterways, providing added flexibility to U.S. warfighters worldwide. The ship's flight deck can also support flight operations for a wide variety of aircraft, including a CH-53 Super Stallion.
The event marks the seventh EPF ship delivered to the Navy as part of a 10-ship, $1.6 billion block-buy contract.
Upon delivery of USNS Carson City, three additional Spearhead-class EPFs are under construction at Austal’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard. Yuma (EPF 8) is being erected in final assembly and modules for City of Bismarck (EPF 9) and Burlington (EPF 10) are under construction in Austal’s module manufacturing facility.
On Thursday, Austal delivered the fourth Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Montgomery (LCS 8), to the Navy.
This milestone marks the second LCS built by Austal as the prime contractor as part of an 11-ship contract worth over $3.5 billion.
After the delivery of Montgomery, six Independence-variant LCS remain under construction at Austal’s Alabama shipyard. Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), Omaha (LCS 12) and Manchester (LCS 14) are being prepared for trials. Assembly is underway on Tulsa (LCS 16) and Charleston (LCS 18) and modules for Cincinnati (LCS 20) are under construction in Austal’s module manufacturing facility.
