Keel laying for EPF 12 at Austal

MOBILE, Ala. - The Navy held a keel laying and authentication ceremony for its 12th Expeditionary Fast Transport, the future USNS Newport (EPF 12) here at Austal USA’s shipyard on Jan. 29. The keel was authenticated by Charlotte Dorrance Marshall of Newport, R.I., signed her initials into the keel plate. She is a board member of the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust. EPFs are non-combatants designed to operate in shallow-draft waterways, increasing operational flexibility for maneuvering and sustainment, relief operations or being a key enabler for rapid transport. The ships are capable of interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, as well as on/off-loading vehicles such as a fully combat-loaded Abrams Main Battle Tank. USNS Burlington (EPF 10) was delivered to the Navy last November2018, and Austal is currently in production on Puerto Rico (EPF 11), which was christened in November 2018. The Navy issued Austal long-lead-time material contracts in late 2018 for EPF 13 and EPF 14. (Source: PEO Ships 01/30/18)