US Navy selects 25 companies for up to $1.9 billion nuclear submarine contract
The multi-award contract will support the scheduled repair and maintenance of nuclear-powered attack submarines at the US Navy’s primary public shipyards.
Expeditionary Sea Base USS John L. Canley (ESB 6) arrived at Naval Air Station North Island on 9 February, eight days before it was commissioned. (Photo: USN)
The fourth Lewis B Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) sealift replenishment vessel, the USS John L Canley (ESB 6), was commissioned on 17 February.
Built by General Dynamics NASSCO, six ships have so far been delivered across two variants: two Expeditionary Transfer Dock (ESD) and six ESB with the final two of the latter, Robert E Simanek (ESB 7) and Hector A Cafferata Jr (ESB 8), under construction.
The vessel has become the navy’s fourth ESB, with the others being USS Lewis B Puller (ESB-3), USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4) and USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5).
The ships support a variety of maritime-based missions including Special Operations Forces and Airborne Mine Counter Measures. The ships have a four-spot flight deck, mission deck and hangar, and have been designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support, and command and control assets.
Shephard Defence Insight noted that the ESBs have a full load displacement of 90,000t, measure 239.3m in length, have a beam of 50m and a draft of 10.5m.
Powered by a commercial diesel-electric propulsion system, the vessels have a top speed of 15kt and a range of 9,500nm with 34 Military Sealift Command personnel.
The design features fuel and equipment storage, repair spaces, magazines, mission planning spaces and accommodation for up to 250 personnel. It can support MH-53 and MH-60 helicopters and MV-22 tilt rotors.
The ESBs have been equipped with a Mk-105 magnetic influence minesweeping sled, AN/AQS-24A mine hunting sonar system, AN/ASQ-232 airborne mine neutralisation system and the Mk-103 mechanical mine, Mk-104 acoustic mine and AN/SPU-1W magnetic minesweeping systems.
Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) [USN]
The multi-award contract will support the scheduled repair and maintenance of nuclear-powered attack submarines at the US Navy’s primary public shipyards.
Hot on the heels of Norway selecting BAE Systems to build five Type 26 anti-submarine frigates, the UK government is reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ on new warship orders for two more Scandinavian countries.
The Israeli defence technology company has taken the wraps off two autonomous vessels ahead of DSEI as it sets its sights on scalability and cost reduction.
The US Navy and US Coast Guard (USCG) are in critical need of support to build icebreakers, surface vessels and submarines.
The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) has a crunch time coming up as it looks to refresh its fleet before 2040, and prepares to begin operating Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters, although it is at the back of a long ordering queue. A key part of any solution is looking at what neighbouring Australia is buying.
Agreements with Inventech Marine Solutions and North River Boats cover the acquisition of trailerable aids to navigation boats and cutter boats - aids to navigation – small.