T-EPF 9 readies to join fleet

NORFOLK, Va. – By year’s end, USNS City of Bismarck (T-EPF 9) will join the Navy’s fleet as part of a class of ships recognized as adaptable and innovative. The adaptability and innovation will be meeting the Navy's future requirements and missions. USNS City of Bismarck will be the ninth of 12 Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF). As one of the Navy's newest ship classes, the non-combatant EPFs provide war-fighters with a ship that can be configured to take on any number of missions from transportation, delivery of Marines and equipment to battlefields while providing a low-cost intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability. Once delivered to the Military Sealift Command, USNS City of Bismarck is scheduled to head for Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va., for additional certifications prior to being deployed to the Pacific theater. EPFs in the pipeline for future delivery to the Navy are USS Burlington (T-EPF 10), which is under construction at Austal USA of Mobile, Ala. It is expected to be delivered in July 2018; USNS Puerto Rico (T-EPF 11) is programmed and expected to be delivered in March 2019; T-EPF 12, which has yet to be named, is programmed. It is expected to be delivered in September 2019. (Source: Military Sealift Command 12/11/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Navy christened USNS City of Bismarck (T-EPF 9) in May 2017 at the Austal USA shipyard.