Shipbuilders: Speed up construction

QUANTICO, Va. – The Navy should accelerate the production of its two newest class of amphibious ships to avoid creating a old construction line and to get the ships it needs cheaper, an industry official Jon Padfield of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) told Marine and Navy officials last week. HII joined with shipbuilding officials from Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., and General Dynamics in promising that the industry is capable of making large increases in construction for the Navy to reach its cited goal of a 355-ship fleet. Speaking on the last day of the Seabasing Operational Advisory Group’s session at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Padfield said the “amphibious ship availability doesn’t seem to be getting any better and may be getting worse,” despite the Navy’s committed requirement for 38 amphibs, USNI News reported. The goal could get more difficult, according to Padfield, unless the Navy moves up its planned construction start for LHA-9, the fourth America class amphibious assault ship, and the second and third of the LPD-17 Flight II replacements for aging LSDs. HII-Pascagoula, Miss., built the first in-class ship America (LHA 6), which is in the fleet; christened LHA 7 Tripoli in September 2017; and is scheduled to start work on Bougainville (LHA 8) in late 2018. But there will be a several-year gap between before the planned start for LHA-9, which would force HII to close the line. In order for that not to happen “we need to accelerate LHA-9,” he said. A quicker rate of production saves money by improving the shipbuilder’s efficiency, Padfield said. The Navy also could save money by moving up production of LPD-31 and 32 amphibious transport dock ships, the second and third of the Flight II ships, formerly called LX(R). HII recently received funding for LPD-30. Austal USA’s Larry Ryder and General Dynamic’s Tom Wetherald criticized the Navy’s proposed Common Hull, Auxiliary Multi-purpose Platform (CHAMP) concept to replace MSC’s fleet, which includes widely different type of ships. CHAMP is okay for large Maritime Prepositioning Ship ships, but the duo suggested the expeditionary transport dock and expeditionary sea base ships built at GD’s NASSCO shipyard in San Diego would be better fits for other types. He joined Ryder in proposing variations of Austal USA’s expeditionary fast transports as more reasonable forms for other MSC ships. (Source: USNI News 08/14/18)