EPF 13 U.S. Navy Ship Will Have $44 Million Worth of Autonomous Capabilities

Since 2012, Austal has delivered 12 Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ships to the navy, with two more to be built and delivered.

This thirteen United States Naval Ship (USNS) is called Apalachicola and is the second vessel with this name in the naval service. It is being constructed in Alabama.

Austal won the $44 million contract involving the design, procurement, production, implementation, and demonstration of autonomous capabilities for the USNS Apalachicola EPF 13, as explained by Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg.

Gregg added that the autonomous capability of the vessel will have significant strategic importance for the U.S. Navy, which is why Austal intends to keep its contractual promise and deliver the product as agreed.

The Apalachicola EPF 13 aluminum catamaran will be a high-speed ship with a length of 103 meters (approximately 338 feet) and a 1,800 square meter cargo deck. It will also feature a medium-lift helicopter deck and will be able to seat over 300 embarked troops. The ship will also have an off-load ramp for vehicles to be able to quickly drive off the vessel.

It will be able to transport 600 short tons up to 1,200 nautical miles, at an average speed of 35 knots.

Austal designs expeditionary fast transport vessels that are designed for a variety of missions, from humanitarian aid and disaster relief to maritime security operations.

In addition to the EPF 13, Austal’s USNS Cody EPF 14 vessel is also under construction at the USA’s shipyard. There are also six more Independence-class littoral combat ships (LCS) to be delivered to the U.S. Navy, as part of another contract between Austal and the United States Navy. The contract mentions 19 such vessels, with the company shipping 13 of them so far.