Military Sealift Command has accepted delivery of its first Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV-1) designed to transport troops and equipment in theater, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) said last week.
The future USNS Spearhead, built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., was delivered Dec. 5 following acceptance trials in August. Military Sealift Command intends to operate at least nine and possibly 10 of the JHSVs once they are complete. The vessel uses a crew of 22.
The 338-foot-long aluminum catamarans are intended to be fast, flexible and maneuverable for ferrying personnel and equipment in a theater of operations.
The Navy has sharply reduced the number of JHSVs to be built from what was originally planned. The fiscal 2013 budget request and five-year procurement plan outlined by the Navy earlier this year more than halved the number of vessels to be built to 10 (Defense Daily, Feb. 14, 2012).
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said at the time the service elected to slash the program to save money during a time of reduced budgets and didn’t want to divert money from large surface combatants to keep funding the JHSV. The fiscal 2013 budget proposal before Congress seeks $189 million for what would be the final vessel.