June 2009 - Alabama State Port Authority

Austal Wins Contract for
Second U.S. Navy Ship
Austal USA is proud to announce that the company
has been awarded the contract to supply
a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to the U.S. Navy.
The fast, highly maneuverable vessel is a key element
of the Navy’s plan to address asymmetrical
threats and will play a crucial role in both the defense of our homeland and
the protection of our forces and allies overseas.
This will be the second LCS ship contracted to the prime contractor Bath Iron
Works, a General Dynamics (GD) company, and GD teammate Austal USA.
The Navy’s first LCS, the 127-meter INDEPENDENCE, is in the final stages
of construction at Austal’s shipyard in Mobile. The second LCS is named
CORONADO in honor of the patriotic citizens of Coronado, Calif., home to
Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious Base.
The CORONADO will be similar to the INDEPENDENCE featuring an innovative,
high-speed trimaran hull. The 419-foot surface combatant ship is
designed to defeat littoral threats and provide access and dominance in
coastal waters for missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare
and surface warfare.
With the U.S. Navy committed to a 55-vessel LCS program, which is part of
its 313-ship fleet, winning this contract demonstrates a strong vote of confidence
for the Austal-designed, high-speed aluminum trimaran seaframe.
Austal USA President and Chief Operating Officer Joe Rella commented,
“The award of this follow-on contract for the LCS program is a testimony
to the commitment by the Navy to this shipbuilding program and further
Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama
Alabama State Port Authority
Tim Parker Jr., Chair, Tuscaloosa
Term expires July 31, 2013
William B. Bru, Mobile
Term expires August 2, 2014
H.L. “Sonny” Callahan, Mobile
Term expires August 2, 2014
David J. Cooper, Mobile
Term expires July 31, 2013
Maj. Gen. J. Gary Cooper, USMC (RET)
Term expires July 31, 2010
Mike Fields, Tuscaloosa
Term expires August 2, 2014
Barry Morton, Birmingham
Term expires July 31, 2010
Steve Thornton, Huntsville
Term expires July 31, 2010
Sam Jones, Mobile
Term expires July 31, 2009
Alabama Seaport Editorial Staff
Judith Adams, Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Jenkins, Managing Editor
Maureen Smith, Managing Editor
Scott Rye, Contributing Editor
Sheri Reid, Editor at Large
confirms their confidence in Austal as a premier shipbuilder.
These are exciting times for Austal, the city of Mobile and the
state of Alabama.”
The announcement follows Austal’s recent selection as
prime contractor for the U.S. Navy’s Joint High Speed Vessel
(JHSV) program, potentially valued at more than $1.6 billion.
The General Dynamics LCS Team platform utilizes Austal’s
proven, high-speed trimaran hull-form to provide enhanced
seakeeping, low resistance, superior aviation facilities and
large payload volume capacity.
Construction of Austal’s second LCS will commence immediately
at its shipyard in Mobile, where work is also well
underway on the first phase of a new state-of-the-art Module
Manufacturing Facility (MMF). The facility will allow quicker
and more cost-effective construction of the ship components,
or modules, which will then be transported to the
existing assembly bays along the waterfront for erection and
launch. Once completed, the 748,000-square-foot MMF
(more than 17 acres under roof), will allow the delivery of up
to five JHSV or LCS platforms per year.
When asked how this facility will improve Austal USA’s product
output, Rella explained, “This state-of-the-art facility was
designed to greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of our production processes, thereby increasing our throughput.
This, in turn, allows us to offer a greater volume of vessels
to our clients at increasingly competitive prices.”
As a result of the LCS award and ongoing JHSV program, the
company’s USA workforce will grow to more than 1,300 by the
time full production of the LCS begins next year. The CORO-
NADO is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in May 2012.
The INDEPENDENCE dry docked at Austal.
Editorial Contributors
Emily Blanchard
Blake Herndon
Jennifer Jenkins
Ashley Jones
Niki Lim
Vanessa McGee
Tracie Ray
Greta Sharp
Maureen Smith
Photography
Sheri Reid
Austal recently won the contract to design and build the U.S. Department of Defense’s next
generation multi-use platform, the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), as part of a program
potentially worth more than $1.6 billion.
Editorial offices of ALABAMA SEAPORT magazine are
located at the International Trade Center, 250 N. Water
Street, Mobile, AL 36602. To be added to or deleted from
the mailing list, contact the Alabama State Port Authority
Trade & Development Office at 251.441.7001.
Panoramic view of the USS INDEPENDENCE at the Austal USA shipyards along the Mobile River in Mobile, Ala.
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Alabama Seaport • june 2009
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