Brought to You by the Members of the U.S. Naval Institute
USNS Carson City (T-EPF- 7) entering the Black Sea on Aug. 15, 2018. Photo by Yörük Işık used with permission
Expeditionary Fast Transport ship USNS Carson City (T-EPF-7) transited the Bosphorus Strait and entered the Black Sea last week, a first for the entire class of Military Sealift Command-operated ships. Read More
Austal USA rendering of proposed EPF hospital ship. Austal USA
As Austal USA prepares to negotiate the contract for the final planned expeditionary fast transport (EPF) vessel, the shipbuilder is actively exploring how to keep the production line hot by pitching the hull as a solution for other Navy needs, such as providing medical services in austere coastal environments.
USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) roll-out on Feb. 28, 2018, at the Austal USA yard in Mobile, Ala. Austal photo.
The Navy’s next expeditionary fast transport vessel, the future USNS Burlington (EPF-10), completed builders trials at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., and in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Carson City (T-EPF 7), right, maneuvers alongside a Norwegian vessel during BALTOPS 2018. US Navy photo.
The Navy continues to expand its uses for the Expeditionary Fast Transport class of ships, as USNS Carson City (T-EPF-7) last month conducted the first high-latitude operations and the first mine countermeasures mission for the ship class. Read More
A crane moves the lower stern into place on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) at Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. on June 22, 2017. US Navy Photo
Navy shipbuilding has been plagued for the last decade by programs running over-budget and underperforming once completed, according to a new government report, resulting in a smaller fleet than previously planned.
Expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) arrives in to Tawau, Malaysia, on April 21, 2018, for a mission stop in support of Pacific Partnership (PP) 2018. US Navy photo.
KUALA LUMPUR — The U.S. Navy’s Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 is looking at new ways of using the Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ships for operations in the Indo-Pacific, task force commander Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson told USNI News in a recent interview. Read More
USNS City of Bismarck (EPF-9) . US Navy photo.
The Navy this week accepted delivery of USNS City of Bismarck (EPF-9), the ninth of 12 contracted expeditionary fast transport (EPF) ships. Read More
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Thach (FFG-43) in 2011. US Navy Photo
The Navy won’t reactivate any Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates in support of operations in U.S. Southern Command, according to an internal service memo obtained by USNI News. Read More
AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Huey helicopters assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 161 (Reinforced) land on the flight deck of the expeditionary mobile base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) in support of Alligator Dagger 2017. Alligator Dagger is a dedicated, unilateral combat rehearsal led by Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51, 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Combined Navy and Marine Corps units of the America Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Units are to practice, rehearse and exercise integrated capabilities that are available to U.S. Central Command, both afloat and ashore. US Navy photo.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy and Marine Corps are committed to using alternative platforms to move Marines around at sea, but there are still decisions yet to be made about how to maximize these ships’ effectiveness and minimize risk while operating independently or as part of a strike group. Read More
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 2 and Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures Company (ExMCM Co.) 202, stand by in a rigid-hull inflatable boat as a Mark 18. Mod. 2 unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) is lowered into the water during a ExMCM training exercise on Aug. 4,2017. US Navy photo.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy is trending towards a mix-and-match set of people, platforms and sensors to detect and destroy mines, a departure from the simpler legacy mine countermeasures setup with a single helicopter type and a single wooden-hull ship class, set for replacement by the new Littoral Combat Ship and its neatly defined mission package. Read More
