JHSV 6 is the second U.S. Navy vessel to be christened at Austal’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard in under six months.

Austal celebrated the christening of USNS Brunswick (JHSV 6) with a ceremony this morning at its state-of-the-art shipyard in Mobile, Ala. USNS Brunswick is the sixth of ten Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV) that Austal has under contract with the U.S. Navy as part of an overall 10-ship block-buy contract worth over $1.6 billion.

JHSV 6 Christening - Lee Booterbaugh breaking the bottle.

JHSV 6, a 338-foot shallow draft aluminum catamaran, is a multi-mission, non-combatant transport vessel characterized by its high volume, high speed, and flexibility.  It is the fourth ship to be named Brunswick after the seaport city located on the southeast coast of Georgia.  The city of Brunswick played an important role during World War II as the site of a 435-acre shipyard that employed up to 16,000 workers at its peak. The yard produced 99 Liberty ships by the end of the war.

“Brunswick displays American values of community, hospitality and resourcefulness at their very best,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “I chose to name the Joint High Speed Vessel after Brunswick to honor those values and the men and women of the city, as well as the state of Georgia."

 “Brunswick is the result of the successful industry/DOD partnership that has developed between Austal USA, Military Sealift Command, and the Navy,” said Craig Perciavalle, president of Austal USA. “We’re very excited about how stable and mature the JHSV program has become as we prepare JHSV 6 for trials and delivery in the fall.”

Brunswick will soon join her sister JHSV’s that have been delivered over the last two-and-a-half years including USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) which is deep into her second deployment since she was delivered in 2012.

“The fast-growing JHSV fleet has proven to be flexible in ways we didn’t even consider when this program first started,” said Perciavalle, “Without the dedication and pride of the hard-working individuals that make up Austal’s awesome shipbuilding team, this program wouldn’t be experiencing the success we’re celebrating today.”

The ship’s sponsor, Alma Booterbaugh, joined the immediate office of the Secretary of the Navy in 1999 and she is currently the Office Manager and Scheduler for the Secretary of the Navy. Booterbaugh has been a civil servant for over 30 years with the Federal Government and is the recipient of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award and three Navy Superior Civilian Service Awards. Booterbaugh was joined on stage today by her daughter, USNS Brunswick’s Maid of Honor, Brittany Booterbaugh.

More than 300 naval guests, civic leaders, community members and Austal employees attended the ceremony held beneath the hull of Brunswick in the Austal final assembly bay.

JHSV 6 Christening - Platform Participants at Ceremony.

Three JHSVs and seven Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are currently under construction in Austal’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard. The company is scheduled to launch JHSV 6 before the end of the month, while the future USS Jackson (LCS 6) prepares for its acceptance sea trials later this summer.

For the LCS and JHSV programs, Austal, as prime contractor, is teamed with General Dynamics Mission Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics. For the JHSV program, General Dynamics is responsible for the design, integration and testing of the navigation and communication systems, C4I and aviation systems.

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About Austal

Austal is a global defense prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defense and commercial ships. For more than 25 years Austal has been a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of revolutionary ships for governments, navies and ferry operators around the world. More than 250 vessels have been delivered in that time.

Ships

Defense vessels designed and built by Austal include multi-mission combatants, such as the littoral combat ship (LCS) for the U.S. Navy and military high speed vessels for transport and humanitarian relief, such as the joint high speed vessel (JHSV) for the U.S. Navy and high speed support vessel (HSSV) for the Royal Navy of Oman. Austal also designs, constructs, integrates and maintains an extensive range of patrol and auxiliary vessels for government agencies globally, including the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program for Australian Customs and Border Protection. Defense vessels are designed and constructed in Mobile, Ala. and in Henderson, Western Australia.

Austal has been at the forefront of the high speed ferry market since the early days of the industry. Our market leading designs of high performance aluminum vessels have long been at the heart of Austal’s research and development. Today, commercial ship construction is centered on our shipyard in Balamban, Philippines.

Systems

Austal has expertise in integrating complex systems into its ships, including ride control, ship management, and communication, sensors and weapon systems.

Support

Austal provides a wide range of support services, including through life support, integrated logistics support, vessel sustainment and systems support. These services are delivered through our global support network in the USA, Australia, Asia and the Middle East together with partner shipyards worldwide.

Media - For further information contact:

Michelle Bowden

Manager, Media and Marketing

Austal USA

(251) 445-7304

michelle.bowden@austalusa.com

or

Craig Savage

Director, Communications

Austal USA

(251) 445-5185

craig.savage@austalusa.com