USNS Bethesda

USNS Spearhead, the lead ship of the design. Bethesda will likely be marked the same as a hospital ship, with the hull and superstructure painted all white, and bearing large red crosses. [1]
History
United States
Name	Bethesda
Namesake	The Bethesda Medical Center, now part of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Maryland [1]
Operator	United States Navy 's Military Sealift Command [1]
Builder	Austal USA [1]
In service	Delivery planned for December 2026 [1]
Identification	Hull number: T-EMS-1
Status	Announced [1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Bethesda-class Expeditionary Medical Ship
Length	118.0 m (387 ft 2 in)
Beam	28.5 m (93 ft 6 in)
Draft	4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Propulsion	4 × MTU 20V8000 M71L diesel engines 4 × ZF 60000NR2H reduction gears
Speed	43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph)
Troops	312
Crew	Capacity of 41, 22 in normal service
Aviation facilities	Landing pad for medium helicopter

USNS Bethesda (T-EMS-1) will be the seventeenth overall Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, and first of her Expeditionary Medical Ship class, operated by the United States Navy 's Military Sealift Command. On 15 May 2023, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that the ship would be named after the Bethesda Medical Center, now part of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Maryland. She will be the first ship in the US Navy to carry the name.

Expeditionary Medical Ship

Beginning with USNS Cody (EPF-14), the ships will be designated as EPF Flight II, with increased health services capabilities while still maintaining most of the original mission of the ship. ^[2] The Flight II variant is designed to bring enhanced medical capabilities at the request of Combatant Commanders, and allows patients to recover onboard rather than in a higher-level facility. They can respond faster, and to more places than the Navy's larger, slower and unarmed hospital ships. ^{[2] [3]} The EPF Flight II design includes upgrades to the medical facilities for resuscitation and surgery, enhanced support of V-22 flight operations, and enhanced launch and recovery of 11-meter rigid inflatable boats. ^[4]

In January 2023, the Navy announced that three Expeditionary Medical Ships (EMS) had been approved in the 2023 military budget. These will be T-EMS-1, T-EMS-2, and T-EMS-3. These are planned to be about 118m versus the earlier ships 103 metres (338 ft), and have a draft of 4.5 metres (15 ft) for operations in "austere ports". The EMS will have four operating rooms and 124 medical beds, separated into acute care, acute isolation, ICU, and ICU isolation spaces. ^[5] Two 11-meter rigid-hulled inflatable boats allow for the transfer of patients from other ships or water rescue; the flight deck has room for a single V-22, or an H-53 or H-60 helicopter. Bethesda is planned for delivery by December 2026. ^{[6] [1]}

References

1. "SECNAV Names Navy's First-in-Class Expeditionary Medical Ship after National Naval Medical Center Bethesda" (Press release). United States Navy. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
2. "New Details of Austals EPF Hospital Ship Emerge". 5 March 2021.
3. "Speedy 'Ambulance Ships' a High Priority for Navy Medicine, Admiral Says". military.com. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
4. "Austal USA Engineering Team Recognized by Mobile Area Council of Engineers" (Press release). Austal USA. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
5. Staff, Naval News (2023-05-13). "SECNAV Names US Navy's First-in-Class Expeditionary Medical Ship". Naval News. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
6. "These Speedy New Navy Medical Ships Are Designed with the Pacific in Mind". military.com. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.