(MOBILE, Ala.) — Austal USA christened USNS Newport (EPF 12), the Navy’s 12th expeditionary fast transport, on Saturday at the shipyard in Mobile.
“It’s an awesome day at Austal when we christen one of our amazing Navy ships,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. “Like the Navy’s other EPF vessels, Newport is destined for great things with the support she’ll soon provide to the global fleet.”
The EPF program provides the Navy with a high-speed intra-theater transport capability. The 338-foot Newport is an aluminum catamaran capable of transporting 600 tons 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots, and is designed to operate in austere ports and waterways, too shallow and narrow for the larger ships in the surface fleet, providing added flexibility to U.S. warfighters worldwide. The ship's flight deck can also support flight operations for a wide variety of manned and unmanned aircraft, including a CH-53 Super Stallion.
