Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., formally handed over USNS Cody (EPF 14) to the US Navy recently as representatives from both parties signed official delivery documentation onboard the ship.
Austal USA and the Navy’s Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) programme team successfully completed acceptance trials on the EPF 14 in the Gulf of Mexico in December 2023.
The trials involved the execution of intense comprehensive tests by the Austal USA-led industry team while underway, which demonstrated to the Navy the successful operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment.
Cody is the first EPF Flight II vessel Austal has delivered to the Navy. EPF Flight II vessels feature enhanced afloat medical capability and will provide critical combat care in austere and contested operating environments.
The EPF’s main propulsion comes from four 20V8000 MTU diesel engines hooked up to four Wärtsilä steerable, reversing waterjets through four ZF 60000 NRTH gearboxes, giving the Cody a speed of 33 knots with 380 metric tonnes of cargo and 10 knots in sea state 5.
“This is an exciting day for Austal USA’s EPF program and our teammates and suppliers across the US,” Austal USA vice president of new construction programmes, Dave Growden, said in his remarks.
“Working together we have produced a highly capable vessel ready to meet the needs of our Nation’s Military Sealift Command.”
Austal USA has delivered 14 EPFs and has two more under construction at the Mobile, Ala., facility. The 338′ Spearhead-class EPF is currently providing high-speed, high-payload transport capability to fleet and combatant commanders.
The ships are representative of Austal USA’s diversified portfolio, which includes surface combatants and auxiliaries, submarine modules, and auto vessels
