USNS Spearhead

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The joint high speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) departs from Puerto Castilla, Honduras, Sept 140902-N-XQ474-001 (cropped).jpg
USNS Spearhead departs Puerto Castilla on 2 September 2014
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameSpearhead
Namesake Spearhead
Operator Military Sealift Command
Builder Austal USA
Laid down22 July 2010 [1]
Launched12 September 2011 [1]
Christened17 September 2011
In service5 December 2012 [1]
ReclassifiedT-EPF-1, 2015
Identification
Motto
  • Ducere Classem
  • (To Lead The Fleet)
StatusActive
Badge USNS Spearhead JHSV-1 Crest.png
General characteristics
Class and type Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport
Length103.0 m (337 ft 11 in)
Beam28.5 m (93 ft 6 in)
Draft3.83 m (12 ft 7 in)
Propulsion
Speed43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph)
Troops312
CrewCapacity of 41, 22 in normal service
Aviation facilities Helipad

USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1/T-EPF-1) is the lead ship of the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport to be operated by the United States Navy 's Military Sealift Command. USNS Spearhead was christened on 17 September 2011.

Contents

Design

Spearhead, and other ships of her class, are built to a modular design that allows them to be rapidly refitted with various equipment within a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) bay, depending on the mission at hand. [2] Spearhead is planned for non-combat missions, such as transportation of troops or equipment. [2]

Spearhead is 103 meters (338 ft) long and 28.5 meters (94 ft) in beam, and has a draft of 3.83 meters (12.6 ft). [3] She has space for 41 crewmembers, though under normal conditions will sail with 22, [4] as well as sleeping accommodations for up to 150 people and an additional 312 seats for troop transport. [3] She is powered by four MTU 20V8000 M71L engines, each with a power of 9.1 megawatts (12,200 hp), driving four Wärtsilä WLD 1400 SR waterjets through ZF 60000NR2H reduction gears. [3] This allows for a maximum speed of 43 knots (49 mph; 80 km/h) and a service speed of 35 knots (40 mph; 65 km/h). [3] There are also facilities for one helicopter. [3]

Construction and career

Spearhead undergoing high-speed trials in 2013 USNS Spearhead with helicopter during sea trials.jpg
Spearhead undergoing high-speed trials in 2013

Construction of Spearhead began on 22 July 2010, when the ship's keel was laid at the Austal facility in Mobile, Alabama in a ceremony that included officials from the US Navy, the US Army, the state of Alabama and the city of Mobile. [5] At the time, Spearhead was intended for service with the US Army in the 7th Sustainment Brigade as USAV Spearhead. [6]

Spearhead was launched on 8 September 2011, though she did not enter the water until several days later; her launch was the moving of the vessel from the shed where she was constructed onto a floating drydock. [7] At the time, she was scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in early 2012, a delay from the original target of September 2011. [7]

Spearhead was christened on 17 September 2011. [8] Her sponsor was a former army officer, Kenneth Wahlman; as part of the ceremony, his daughter Catherine Wahlman (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Corps of Cadets class of 2013) broke a bottle of champagne across Spearhead's bow. [8] Spearhead, after delivery to the Navy in early 2012, will undergo sea trials and tests, and in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 is planned to begin operations, homeported at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek. [9] She will be crewed by civilian mariners (merchant seaman) from the Military Sealift Command, and her first captain was Douglas D. Casavant Jr. [2]

In August 2012 Spearhead made a "clean sweep" of her acceptance trials. [10]

Spearhead was formally delivered to the Navy on 5 December 2012, eight months late and $31 million over budget. [11] She made her first deployment to Europe and Africa in early 2014, followed by a trip to Latin America. [12]

On 7 March 2014, Spearhead visited Liberia, [13] where Marines conducted a rigid-hulled inflatable boat drill. [14]

On 12 June 2014, the Spearhead was conducting routine testing off the coast of Key West. In the early morning, lightning struck an aerostat that was tethered to the vessel. The strike caused the aerostat to deflate and land in the water, where it sank. [15]

During operations in 2015, Spearhead experienced bow damage from rough seas requiring more than $500,000 (USD) in repairs. It was determined that a design change that Austal recommended to the Navy late in the design phase to save weight has resulted in a weakened bow structure. The first five ships in the class will need to be returned to Austal to have upgrades done to improve the superstructure, at a cost of $1.2M each. The remaining ships which are still in various stages of construction will be upgraded as well. [16]

From July to October 2018, Spearhead deployed to the Caribbean, South and Central America as part of the Navy's annual Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2018. SPS is a project with regional partner nations to conduct subject matter expert exchanges and contribute to water well construction projects. SPS 2018 saw Spearhead visit Panama, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, and Trinidad and Tobago. [17]

During the summer of 2019, Spearhead was part of a Navy project to test the EPF design as a drone mothership with various unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). [18]

As of 1 October 2020, Spearhead's status was changed to "Inactive, Reduced Operating Status". [1] As of October 2022, she has been moored at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austal USA</span>

Austal USA is an American shipbuilder based on Blakeley Island in Mobile, Alabama. It is a subsidiary of the Australian shipbuilder Austal, operating under a Special Security Arrangement which allows it to work independently and separately on some of the most sensitive United States defense programs despite its foreign ownership.

HSC <i>Dublin Swift</i>

Dublin Swift is a high-speed catamaran built in 2001 by Austal as a passenger and vehicle catamaran ferry. After conversion to a Maritime Prepositioning ship the vessel was chartered by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command until January 2018 as WestPac Express. It was then converted for civilian use as a passenger ferry by Irish Ferries and renamed Dublin Swift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austal</span> Australian defence company

Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, high-speed ferries, and supply or crew transfer vessels for offshore windfarms and oil and gas platforms.

<i>Spearhead</i>-class expeditionary fast transport US navy catamaran

The Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport (EPF) is a United States Navy–led shipbuilding program to provide a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intra-theater transport of medium-sized cargo payloads. The EPFs can reach speeds of 35–45 knots (65–83 km/h; 40–52 mph), and allow the rapid transit and deployment of conventional or special forces, equipment and supplies. The vessels are a part of Military Sealift Command's Sealift Program. The class was previously designated as "Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV)", and redesignated in September 2015.

USNS <i>Fall River</i>

USNS Fall River (JHSV-4/T-EPF-4) is the fourth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, which is operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC). Fall River was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.

USNS <i>Montford Point</i>

USNS Montford Point (T-ESD-1),, the lead ship of her class of Expeditionary Transfer Docks (ESD), is a ship named in honor of African American Marine Corps recruits who trained at Montford Point Camp, North Carolina, from 1942 to 1949. After $115 million was allocated for long-lead time material and advanced design efforts, in late 2010 General Dynamics's National Steel and Shipbuilding Company was awarded the contract, worth approximately $500 million, to build the first of three planned vessels.

USNS <i>John Glenn</i> An Expeditionary Mobile Base for the US Navy

USNS John Glenn (T-ESD-2), is a United States Navy Expeditionary Transfer Dock ship named in honor of John Glenn, a Naval Aviator, retired United States Marine Corps colonel, veteran of World War II and the Korean War, astronaut, and United States senator.

USNS <i>Millinocket</i>

USNS Millinocket (JHSV-3/T-EPF-3)(ex-Fortitude) is the third Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, which is operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command and was built in Mobile, Alabama.

USNS <i>Trenton</i>

USNS Trenton (JHSV-5/T-EPF-5), (ex-Resolute) is the fifth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. Spearhead-class ships are used to support overseas operations, conduct humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and support special operations forces. This type of vessel also has an aviation flight deck and can operate in shallow waters.

USNS <i>Brunswick</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Brunswick (JHVS-6/T-EPF-6), is the sixth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, currently in service with the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. It is the fourth ship in naval service named after Brunswick, Georgia. Brunswick is one of three expeditionary fast transport ships in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to continue its mission of providing rapid intra-theater transport of troops and military equipment. Like other EPFs of its class, the Brunswick is capable of carrying up to 600 short tons of equipment for distances of 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots.

USNS <i>Choctaw County</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Choctaw County (JHSV-2/T-EPF-2), (ex-Vigilant) is the second Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, which is operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command and was built in Mobile, Alabama.

USNS <i>Carson City</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Carson City (JHSV-7/T-EPF-7), (ex-Courageous) is the seventh Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, currently in service with the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. She is the second ship in naval service named after Carson City, Nevada.

USNS <i>Yuma</i> (T-EPF-8) Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Yuma (T-EPF-8) is the eighth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport and operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. It is the fourth ship in naval service named after Yuma, Arizona.

USNS <i>City of Bismarck</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS City of Bismarck (JHSV-9/T-EPF-9), (ex-Sacrifice) is the ninth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport and operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. It is the first ship in naval service named after Bismarck, North Dakota’s capital city.

USNS <i>Burlington</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) is the tenth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport and operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. It is the first ship in naval service named after Burlington, Vermont’s largest city.

USNS <i>Puerto Rico</i> (T-EPF-11) Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Puerto Rico (T-EPF-11) is the eleventh Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport and currently in service with the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command.

USNS <i>Newport</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Newport (T-EPF-12) is the twelfth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport and is operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. It is the fourth ship in naval service named after Newport, Rhode Island.

USNS <i>Apalachicola</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Apalachicola (T-EPF-13) is the thirteenth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport and operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. It is the second ship in naval service named after Apalachicola, Florida.

USNS <i>Cody</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Cody (T-EPF-14) will be the fourteenth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport and will be operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. She will be the first ship in naval service named after Cody, Wyoming, and the first of the Flight II variant designed to have enhanced medical capabilities.

USNS <i>Point Loma</i> (T-EPF-15) Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Point Loma (T-EPF-15) will be the fifteenth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. On 16 July 2021, acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker announced that she would be named after Point Loma, San Diego. This is the second ship named after Point Loma, with the first being USS Point Loma (AGDS-2), a Deep Submergence Support Ship

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Spearhead". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Navy's Newest Ship Is Pickup Truck of the Sea". Wired. Wired Magazine. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "auSTAL JHSV" (PDF). Austal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  4. ↑ "Navy's first joint high-speed vessel christened". Military Sealift Command. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  5. ↑ "Keel Laying Ceremony for Spearhead (JHSV 1)". MarineLink.com. 23 July 2010. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Keel Laid for First Joint High Speed Vessel". US Navy. 23 July 2010. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Austal rolls out first joint high-speed vessel". Alabama Live. 9 September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  8. 1 2 "US Navy Receives First of 10 Joint High Speed Vessels USNS Spearhead". Shipbuilding Tribune. 20 September 2011. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Navy's First Joint High-Speed Vessel Christened". US Navy. 17 September 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "Acceptance trials 'clean sweep' by JHSV 1." Marine Log, 30 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "Delay in JHSV Delivery Will Ripple Into 2017"
  12. ↑ VERGAKIS, BROCK (14 January 2014). "New Navy high-speed catamaran to make 1st deployment". www.stripes.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Spearhead Hosts Joint Familiarization Exercise in Monrovia". navy.mil. United States Sixth Fleet. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "Marines conduct crisis response exercise from USNS Spearhead."
  15. ↑ USNAVSO/US 4th Fleet Statement regarding AEROSTAT - Navy.mil, 13 June 2014
  16. ↑ "New Navy Ships Have Trouble Surviving the High Seas". Bloomberg.com. 14 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Spearhead Deploys, Marking the Start of Southern Partnership Station". southcom.mil. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  18. ↑ "U.S. Navy Testing EPF As Drone Mother Ship". hoodtechvision.com. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  19. ↑ "USNS Spearhead (T-EPF-1) Current Position NATO WARSHIP". marinevesseltraffic.com. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

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