Austal USA Begins Building Its First Steel Ship

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA on Monday said it celebrated the start of construction on the company’s first steel ship, a U.S. Navy Navajo Class Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T-ATS 11).

“It seems like only yesterday we were breaking ground on our steel shipbuilding facility and here we are, a little over a year later, beginning construction on our first steel ship,” said Austal USA Vice President of New Construction, Dave Growden.

Austal USA, which has built a number of aluminum vessels for government and commercial customers, earlier this year opened a new facility that gives it steel shipbuilding capability. The new 170,000 square foot enclosed steel production facility houses computerized and robotic steel processing equipment.

Modules for T-ATS will be built in the new steel production facility before being transported to the final assembly hall to be erected, the builder said.

Austal USA is under contract to build two Navajo-class T-ATS vessels, which will provide oceangoing tug, salvage and rescue capabilities to support U.S. fleet operations and will be a multi mission common hull platform capable of towing heavy ships. T-ATS 11 is scheduled to be delivered in late 2024.

The shipbuilder also recently secured a contract to build up to 11 steel medium-endurance Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC) for the U.S. Coast Guard.