GIS keel laying for T-ATS 6

HOUMA, La. - Gulf Island Shipyard (GIS) held a keel laying ceremony here Oct. 30 for the future USNS Navajo (T-ATS 6), the lead ship of the Navy’s new class of Towing, Salvage, and Rescue vessels. The ceremony was held at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center. The Navajo-class will provide ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support fleet operations. The current capabilities are provided by three T-ATF 166 and two T-ARS 50 class ships, which reach the end of their expected service lives starting in 2020. Navajo-class ships will be capable of towing Navy ships and will have 6,000 square feet of deck space for embarked systems. In addition to T-ATS 6, Gulf Island Shipyard is under contract for the detail design and construction of the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7) and USNS Saginaw Ojibwe Anishinabek (T-ATS 8). (Source: Team Ships 10/31/19)