The USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) is shown during sea trials. (U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command)
21 Apr 2021
The Navy is investing more than $200 million to configure two of its catamarans to function as high-speed ambulance ships for medical emergencies on the water. And the Navy s surgeon general said Tuesday that the service is enormously excited to gain the new capability.
The $235 million contract modification was issued in March, allowing Austal USA to develop the Navy s next expeditionary fast transport, or EPF, ships with built-in enhanced medical capability. The 14th ship in the class, EPF-14, to be called USNS Cody after the city in Wyoming, will be the first of these ships; the yet-to-be-named EPF-15 will be the second. The ships are operated by the Navy s Military Sealift Command, just like the service s two large hospital ships.
VIRIN: 200924-N-XX123-1001
Due to ongoing public health and safety concerns related to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the ceremony will take place in compliance with Department of Defense, Center for Disease Control, state public health, state, and local government guidelines and restrictions. The event will be livestreamed to offer maximum viewing by the general public. “The Mobile crew worked hard to prepare their ship for this moment, and they will continue to see the fruits of their labor as they train and operate at sea,” said Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “We are refining the LCS class lethality and global sustainment infrastructure to better harness the versatility these ships bring to the Surface Force; Mobile is entering the fleet at a prime time in the LCS progression, as we implement lessons learned from other LCS deployers.”
‘There is going to be a parade’: Mobile poised for first post-COVID Mardi Gras-like parade on Gulf Coast
Updated 6:30 AM;
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It’s been a little more than two months since Mardi Gras Day ushered out the 2021 Carnival season on a whimper: With all the parades canceled in Mobile due to the coronavirus pandemic, the city’s Fat Tuesday celebration drew an anemic 1,700 revelers during a cold day to the downtown streets.
But the self-branded “Birthplace of Mardi Gras” isn’t giving up on one more short of a Carnival-like celebration, even though the calendar says the holiday has long passed.
US Navy commissions new littoral combat ship April 20, 2021, by Naida Hakirevic
The US Navy has commissioned the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Oakland (LCS 24) during a ceremony held in Oakland on April 17.
U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Pearl
This is the third ship in naval service to be named in honor of the city of Oakland. The first USS Oakland was a transport cargo ship commissioned in 1918. The second Oakland was a light cruiser that served in World War II, earning nine battle stars.
Back in June 2020, shipbuilder Austal USA delivered USS Oakland to the US Navy, from the company’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.
autoevolution 19 Apr 2021, 9:39 UTC ·
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Despite its friendly-sounding name, the beautiful ship you are seeing is meant to play an active role in future U.S. Navy combat missions. The most recent addition to the littoral combat ship (LCS) fleet, the Oakland was officially introduced during a U.S. Navy ceremony in California. 2 photos
Oakland is now the 22nd LCS and the 12th of the Independence-variant ships in the U.S. Navy fleet.
The LCS program was first introduced in 2002 and it focuses on two types of LCS categories, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant. The Independence variant LCS are being built by Austal USA in their Alabama-based shipyard, while the Freedom LCS are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, in Wisconsin.