Austal has hosted an abbreviated US Navy keel-laying ceremony for its second Littoral Combat Ship, Coronado (LCS 4).

Fabrication has started on twelve of the twenty-eight modules that will make up this 127-metre trimaran design. Six of the twenty-eight modules are currently being outfitted with ships equipment such as gas turbines, generators, and propulsion equipment, and electrical, piping and ventilation systems. Three modules have been erected in their pre-launch position.

The object of the keel-laying ceremony is to mark the first significant event in the construction of the ship, second only to ship’s launch. The ceremony normally signifies the erection of the first module that will form part of the 127-metre (417ft) aluminium trimaran. When completed it will be capable of providing high speeds, multi-mission capability and superior aviation operations for up to two large helicopters. Austal, as the designer and builder of the LCS seaframe, is part of the General Dynamics / Bath Iron Works team offering the unique aluminium trimaran solution for the US Navy’s defence needs.

The first Austal-built LCS, Independence (LCS 2), has been officially delivered to the US Navy. The event was attended by Bob Browning, Joe Rella and Craig Perciavalle representing the builder and Captain Dean Krestos and Commander Renshaw representing the client, the US Navy. The Independence successfully completed Acceptance Trials in November and will be Commissioned in Mobile on 16 January 2010. More information about the commissioning ceremony and the activities surrounding the event is available at www.ussindependenceship.org.

Austal USA President and Chief Operating Officer, Joe Rella, commented on the delivery of Austal’s first LCS: “The delivery of the Independence is a significant achievement for Austal and adds to the rich history of Mobile as a hub of shipbuilding activity in the United States. Many vessels have made their maiden voyage from these waters and the Independence, unrivalled in its design and capability, continues this legacy. Austal is proud of this significant event as exclusive members of the maritime community.”

Austal recently marked the ten-year anniversary of the incorporation of its Mobile, Alabama company. Austal USA started with a Greenfield site working in one assembly bay and an office trailer on 10 acres of waterfront property. Today, the yard employs over 1,000 shipbuilders, engineers/designers, and support staff and occupies over 100 acres of land in the same location on the eastern shore of the Mobile River. The facility now includes three large assembly bays, a two-story office building, several additional temporary buildings to house support staff, and the recently opened Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF) and 85,000 sq. ft. of drive-through warehouse space for efficient receipt and distribution of materials from Austal’s US and global suppliers. The first half of the MMF was completed in late August 2009 and encompasses 8 ½ acres manufacturing space under roof (an area over 1,000 feet long by 350 feet wide) and paved fenced parking for 2,000 vehicles.

In ten years Austal USA has delivered eleven vessels. The largest ship is the Independence (LCS 2), delivered to the US Navy today. This overshadows the Huaki, the 113 metre aluminium high-speed catamaran vehicle-ferry that was the largest aluminium ship built in the US at the time. Other vessels built by the Austal USA team include two 45 metre fast crew/supply monohulls, a 26 metre high-speed passenger catamaran, a 33 metre dinner cruise catamaran, a 41 metre dinner cruise monohull, a 43 metre high-speed passenger/excursion catamaran, and a 58 metre high-speed vehicle passenger ferry, the first of its kind to operate within the US.

Recently Austal USA was issued notification by the US Navy to start construction on the first ship of the Joint High Speed Vessel contract, Fortitude (JHSV 1). As the US Department of Defense’s next generation multi-use platform, the 103-metre JHSV will provide rapid intra-theater deployment/transportation of personnel, equipment and supplies. The vessel will support military logistics, sustainment and humanitarian relief operations and will be capable of speeds up to 43 knots.