Keel laying ceremony for USNS 'Burlington' Tuesday

EPFUSNS Choctaw County. US Navy photo.

Vermont Business MagazineShip builder Austal will host a keel laying ceremony for the futureUSNS Burlington(EPF 10), at its Mobile, AL. shipyard,Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in the construction of the ship and Austal’s $1.9 billion 12-ship block buy contract with the US. Navy. Austal’s Bill Pfisterwill authenticate the keel by welding his initials onto an aluminum plate that will be placed in the keel – a beam around which the hull, or body, of a ship is built.

EPFs (Expeditionary Fast Transport) are designated United States Naval Ships (USNS) and have three specially celebrated events in the life of the ship: the laying of the keel, its launch (christening), and decommissioning.

The EPF, a 338-foot shallow draft aluminum catamaran, is a multi-mission, non-combatant transport vessel characterized by its high volume, high speed, and flexibility. T-EPF 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are currently deployed supporting USmilitary humanitarian missions, while vessels 7 and 8 are either preparing for deployment or testing. EPF 9 is at Austal preparing for acceptance trials and delivery later this year. Three additional EPFs are under construction at Austal’s state-of-the-art ship manufacturing facility in Mobile.

What:Keel laying ceremony forBurlington(EPF 10)

When:Tuesday, Sep. 26 |11:30 a.m. cst.

Where:Austal Shipyard | Mobile, Ala.

Speakers:Keel Authenticator: Mr. Bill Pfister, Vice President Emeritus, Austal USA

U.S. Navy: Captain Scot Searles, Strategic and Theater Sealift Program Manager, Program Executive Office, Ships

Austal: Mike Bell, Vice President of Operations, Austal USA

Key Guests: Commissioner Jerry Carl, Mobile County Commission, District 3 President
Commissioner Chris Elliott, Baldwin County Commission

About Austal

Austal is a global defense prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defense and commercial ships. For more than 25 years Austal has been a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of revolutionary ships for governments, navies and ferry operators around the world. More than 250 vessels have been delivered in that time.

Source:Austal 2.25.2017

VBM vermontbiz.com