On 30 June 2011, Austal was awarded construction contracts for EPF-6 and EPF-7. [29], The EPF program combines the Army's Theater Support Vessel (TSV) program (dating from 2004) with the Navy and Marine Corps High Speed Connector (HSC) (requirement dating from 2004). The Navy's Program Executive Office, Ships will conduct acquisition for both the Army and Navy, but each se… [26][27], Marine Corps General John M. Paxton, Jr. has called the EPF "a very capable ship" for certain missions, but in consideration for serving as an alternate platform for Marines to use in amphibious operations as substitutes for amphibious assault ships, he claims several deficiencies including ability to operate in difficult sea states, ability to remain survivable in contested waters, a flight deck that cannot handle the heat of an MV-22 Osprey's engines during take-off and landing, lack of a well deck to launch amphibious vehicles at sea, as well as current lack of a "splash capability" where the ramp can allow vehicles to be driven off it into the sea. Without resupply, it can support 312 embarked personnel for four days, or 104 personnel for 14 days. [5] Spearhead, after delivery to the Navy in early 2012, will undergo sea trials and tests, and in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 is planned to begin operations, homeported at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek. When transporting troops, an EPF has 312 airline-style passenger seats and 146 fixed berths, 104 of which are permanent. On 5 December 2012, the first ship in the class, USNS Spearhead, was delivered to Military Sealift Command in Mobile, Alabama. The Navy awarded Phase One preliminary design contracts in early 2008, and a detail design and construction contract in the 4th Quarter of FY08. [22] The General Dynamics OPEN CI is also used on the Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS), also built by Austal. [13], The EPF is able to transport U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps company-sized units with their vehicles, or reconfigurable to become a troop transport for an infantry battalion. OPEN CI includes the information technology (IT) infrastructure for the combat and seaframe control systems. [14] Vehicles and cargo are loaded and unloaded by a ramp that can support up to 100 tons of weight. [35], On 27 February 2012, Austal was awarded construction contracts for EPF-8 and EPF-9. The strike caused the aerostat to deflate and land in the water, where it sank. The preliminary design contract for the EPF programme was awarded in February 2008. USNS Spearhead was christened on 17 September 2011. [37], On 5 April 2013, the EPF program was added to the remit of the Littoral Combat Ship Council, so that the capabilities of both ship types could be considered together. The remaining ships which are still in various stages of construction will be upgraded as well. They will not be permanently installed on the EPF, and the Navy has yet to decide which ship classes will receive a fully operational railgun. EPF has a shallow draft (under 15 feet (4.6 m)). The EPF has a flight deck for helicopters and a load ramp that will allow vehicles to quickly drive on and off the ship. [15] This allows for a maximum speed of 43 knots (49 mph) and a service speed of 35 knots (40 mph). [10], USNS Spearhead, the lead ship in the class, was launched in September 2011, and it is expected to be delivered to the Navy in early 2012. On 23 March 2010, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced in Fall River, Massachusetts that the fourth Joint High Speed Vessel will be named USNS Fall River. The Communications suite for this class will be provided by BAE Systems Inc. On 7 April 2014, the U.S. Navy announced that a prototype electromagnetic railgun will be installed onto USNS Millinocket (T-EPF-3) for at-sea testing in FY 2016. In addition, Austal is under contract to build Independence-class littoral combat ships (LCS) for the US Navy. [18] Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert has suggested using the ships as a cheaper way to perform counter-piracy missions to free up blue-water combatants. [33], On 2 May 2011, all Army JHSVs were transferred to the Navy.[34]. [39], Funding for the construction of an eleventh EPF was appropriated by Congress in the FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act.[40]. [7] Spearhead is planned for non-combat missions, such as transportation of troops or equipment. [49], Austal launched the first HSSV on 31 October 2015 at its Henderson, WA facility. Two additional Spearhead-class EPFs, USNS Newport (EPF 12) and USNS Apalachicola (EPF 13), remain under construction at Austal USA. It is 72.5 m (238 ft) long and can travel at 35 knots. The first five ships in the class will need to be returned to Austal to have upgrades done to improve the superstructure, at a cost of $1.2M each. The EPF program received Milestone A approval in May 2006. Spearheadis planned for non-combat missions, such as transportation of troops or equipment. The programme initially called for five EPF vessels to be delivered to the army, and five to the Navy and Marine Corps. [50], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, High Speed Vessels of the United States Navy, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, "Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs", Civilian-crewed vessels see larger role in amphibious ops, "Austal Delivers Fifth Joint High Speed Vessel", http://www.defensenews.com/article/20141212/DEFREG/312120029/, Low Cost Ship Options for U.S. Navy’s Drug War, Marines conduct crisis response exercise from USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1), Joint High-Speed Vessel turns heads during Bold Alligator, Joint High Speed Vessel: Great Potential, But Questions Remain, Joint High Speed Vessels Support Marine Corps Missions, http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/inventory.asp?var=PM5, A New Class of Ship – 'Expeditionary Support', Navy’s Newest Ship Is Pickup Truck of the Sea, Navy explores new roles with first-in-class USNS Spearhead, "DOT&E: JHSV Effective At Intra-Theater Transport But Challenged In Other Missions", "Navy Considers JHSV for Special Operations Missions", "Retiring frigates may leave some missions unfilled", USNS Spearhead returns from maiden deployment, USNS Choctaw County Starts Concept Trial at Naval Weapons Station Cheatham, "General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems to Integrate Ship Mission System for Austal Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV)]", NAVSEA Details At Sea 2016 Railgun Test on JHSV Trenton, "Marines Seek New Tech To Get Ashore Vs. Missiles; Reinventing Amphib Assault", Amos rejects recent critique of amphibious combat vehicle, Future Marine Corps Missions Depend on New Ship-To-Shore Connectors, USMC’s Paxton: Potential Marine Deployments On LCS And JHSV Carry Risks, SNA: Surface Leaders Make the Case for the Modified Littoral Combat Ship, "Objective Theater Support Vessel (OTSV)", "Navy's First Joint High-Speed Vessel Christened", "Unusual ship visits Mayport after 6-month deployment to African waters", "Army Transfers High Speed Vessels to Navy", "Navy Awards Construction Contracts for JHSV 6, 7", "Navy Exercises Tenth JHSV Construction Option", "Military Sealift Command News: CIVMARs To Operate JHSV", http://www.defensenews.com/article/20141212/DEFREG/312120029/Navy-Gains-Ship-15-Growlers-Defense-Bill, "Austal Celebrates Keel Laying for JHSV2 - the "Choctaw County, "Secretary of the Navy Names Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Millinocket", "Future USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3) completes builder's sea trials", "Secretary of the Navy Names Multiple Ships", "Joint High-Speed Vessels May Answer the Changing Logistics Needs of Navies, Finds Frost & Sullivan", Austal contract for two 72m High Speed Support Vessels is for the Royal Navy of Oman, List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy, https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Spearhead-class_expeditionary_fast_transport&oldid=4688729, Articles with dead external links from September 2010, Pages with citations using unsupported parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. The Newport completed sea trials on 30 July 2020 and its delivery was accepted by the U.S. Navy on 2 September 2020. ", "Delay in JHSV Delivery Will Ripple Into 2017", "New Navy high-speed catamaran to make 1st deployment", "Spearhead Hosts Joint Familiarization Exercise in Monrovia", "Marines conduct crisis response exercise from USNS Spearhead. Operated by the U.S. Military Sealift Command, USNS Spearhead (T-EPF-1) (formerly known JHSV-1 for Joint High Speed Vessel) is the first Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship. [32], The Navy expected to purchase 23 EPF vessels over 30 years. The interior is spacious and berthing areas have private features like toilet stalls, outlets, air conditioning, and even thermostats; there is no gym on board. 160926-N-YM720-452 SUBIC BAY, Philippines (Sept. 26, 2016) The Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport ship USNS Millinocket (T-EPF 3) sails into Subic Bay, Philippines, Sept. 26. The Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) is a United States Navy-led shipbuilding program to provide "a platform intended to support users in the Department of the Navy and Department of the Army. The Navy awarded Phase One preliminary design contracts in early 2008, and a detail design and construction contract in the 4th Quarter of FY08. [2], The U.S. 4th Fleet has expressed interest in using the EPF as a low-cost ship for performing drug interdiction missions around Central and South America. The Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) program is a cooperative effort for a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intratheater transport of medium-sized cargo payloads. [7], Spearhead is 103 metres (338 ft) long and 28.5 metres (94 ft) in beam, and has a draft of 3.83 metres (12.6 ft). In the early morning, lightning struck an aerostat that was tethered to the vessel. This is a list of Military Sealift Command ships.The fleet includes about 130 ships in eight … The ramp is suitable for the types of austere piers and quay walls common in developing countries. [10], On 7 March 2014, Spearhead visited Liberia,[11] where Marines conducted a rigid-hulled inflatable boat drill. Though the ships are non-combatants, they were chosen for their available cargo and topside space and schedule flexibility. The rest of the vessel is an empty 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) mission bay that can be loaded to carry whatever cargo is needed. When deploying a SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV), the EPF's stern-mounted crane could launch it in up to sea state 3 conditions, but support surface craft were needed to get divers into the underwater vehicle, which could only be launched in sea state 2.[17]. USNS Newport is the 12th Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship to be delivered to the United States Navy – and brings the total number of ships delivered to the Navy by Austal USA to 24 in ten years, including three this year. [14], Spearhead, as well as other ships of her class, are built to a modular design that allows them to be rapidly refitted with various equipment within a 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) bay depending on the mission at hand. USNS Spearhead was christened on 17 September 2011. [2] At the time, Spearhead was intended for service with the US Army in the 7th Sustainment Brigade as USAV Spearhead. Alakai has a capacity of 866 passengers and up to 282 subcompact cars. [21], After various tests to explore the EPF's suitability to perform different missions, the ship was found to perform its primary role of intra-theater transport effectively, but had extreme difficulty in carrying out other suggested missions. [6] She will be crewed by civilian mariners (merchant seaman) from the Military Sealift Command, and her first captain was Douglas D. Casavant, Jr.[7], In August 2012 Spearhead made a "clean sweep" of her acceptance trials. It even has a flight deck for helicopter operations. Spearhead -class ships are used to support overseas operations, conduct humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and support special operations forces. [3], Spearhead was launched on 8 September 2011, though she did not enter the water until several days later; her launch was the moving of the vessel from the shed where she was constructed onto a floating drydock. [13], During operations in 2015, Spearhead experienced bow damage from rough seas requiring more than a half-million dollars (USD) to repair. [38], In 2014, the USN considered outsourcing the management of the fleet, but concluded that the ships would continue to be manned by civil service mariners. [28] The EPF has been rejected as an alternative platform to base the MV-22 off of due to weight and the heat it generates being potentially damaging to its flight deck. [4], Spearhead was christened on 17 September 2011. In May 2013, the HSV-2 Swift conducted a drug interdiction patrol, showing an aluminum catamaran was capable of performing the role. [17], As of late 2014, a EPF costs $180 million to build and has an annual operating cost of $26 million. Although it wouldn't be able to conduct the same tasks as a full-size hospital ship, large hospital ships are slow, while the EPF can serve as a quick transit platform for rapid medical response. Construction of Spearhead began on 22 July 2010, when the ship's keel was laid at the Austal facility in Mobile, Alabama in a ceremony that included officials from the US Navy, the US Army, the state of Alabama and the city of Mobile. USNS Spearhead (T-EPF-1) (formerly JHSV-1) is the first Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport to be operated by the Military Sealift Command. [36], On 10 December 2012, the Navy awarded its final option under its current contract, and ordered EPF-10. Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport vessel USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) departed its hub port in Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek – Fort Story, Va., Saturday, September 26, in support of a three-month deployment in U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility. The infrastructure integrates the ship's electronic systems including, internal and external communication, electronic navigation, aviation and armament systems. [10], The EPF has a flight deck for helicopters and a load ramp that will allow vehicles to quickly drive on and off the ship.
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