Austal Built Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) Christened

: Posted On Monday, 12 January 2015 09:50

Naval Industry News - USA

Austal Built Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) Christened

Austal christened USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) on January 10th at its state-of-the-art shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. USNS Trenton is the fifth of ten Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV) that Austal has under contract with the U.S. Navy as part of an overall 10-ship block-buy contract worth over $1.6 billion.

USNS TRENTON (JHSV 5) is the first of several Navy vessels to be Christened at Austal USA in 2015 Picture: Austal

The 338-foot catamaran vessel was named Trenton by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, after the capital of the state of New Jersey and the site of George Washington's first military victory during the American Revolutionary War. According to Secretary Mabus, “Trenton displays American values of community, perseverance and resourcefulness at their very best. I chose to name the Joint High Speed Vessel after Trenton to honor those values and the men and women of the city as well as the state of New Jersey."

Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle praised the ship, saying, “Trenton is a true testament to the successful partnership that has developed between Austal USA, the Military Sealift Command, and the Navy. We’re very happy with how well this program has matured as we prepare our 5th JHSV for trials and delivery in the coming months.”

Trenton will soon join the four other JHSVs which have been delivered over the last two years including USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) which recently left on her second deployment since she was delivered in 2012. According to Mr. Perciavalle, “Trenton and her sister ships are innovative ships with incredible amounts of speed, volume and flexibility for their size; capabilities the Navy will be able to leverage for decades to come.”

He continued, “The success of the program is the direct result of the hard work and dedication of so many incredible shipbuilding professionals here at Austal – the best I’ve ever worked with.”

“We’re so thankful for the support the JHSV program has received, as evidenced by the addition of JHSV 11 in the recently passed appropriations bill, and we’re excited about the program’s future.”

Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Fall River (JHSV 4) completed the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship, completing Acceptance Trials (AT) on July 25, 2014, in the Gulf of Mexico. This milestone achievement involved the performance of intense comprehensive tests by the Navy while underway, which demonstrated the operation of the ship's major systems and equipment.

GULF OF MEXICO (July 25, 2014) The joint high speed vessel USNS Fall River (JHSV 4) completes acceptance trials testing and evaluations in the Gulf of Mexico. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)

The JHSV is a relatively new asset that will be an important Navy connector. In peacetime, JHSVs will be operating forward supporting Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and riverine forces, theater cooperating missions, Seabees, Marine Corps and Army transportation. Each JHSV also supports helicopter operations and has a slewing vehicle ramp on the starboard quarter which enables use of austere piers and quay walls, common in developing countries. A shallow draft (under 4 meters) will further enhance theater port access.

Three JHSVs and six Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are currently under construction in Austal’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard. Austal will launch one ship and send JHSV 5, out on Builder’s Sea Trials in the Gulf before the end of January.

For the LCS and JHSV programs, Austal, as prime contractor, is teamed with General Dynamics Mission Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics. For the JHSV program, General Dynamics is responsible for the design, integration and testing of the navigation and communication systems, C4I and aviation systems.