EPF 9 completes builder’s trials

MOBILE, Ala. – The Navy’s ninth Expeditionary Fast Transport, City of Bismarck (EPF 9), successfully completed builder’s trials Sept. 14 after a two-day underway period in the Gulf of Mexico. While underway, various tests demonstrated the ship’s readiness, including calibration of communication and navigational systems, ship propulsion, ride control, and pollution control. Maneuverability trials tested the ship’s four steerable water jets while a series of high-speed turns demonstrated the stability and agility of the EPF catamaran hull form. The ship is now preparing for Acceptance Trials during which the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey will inspect and evaluate the ship to certify its readiness for delivery to the Navy. The ship was built at Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala. EPF’s are versatile, non-combatant vessels designed to operate in shallow-draft ports and waterways. (Source: Naval Sea Systems Command 09/15/17)