Construction Commences on First Joint High Speed Vessel: "Workers at the Austal USA shipyard started fabrication of the first Joint High Speed Vessel Dec. 17 in Mobile, Ala.
'This is an important milestone for our program which brings us one step closer to delivering this critical asset to both the Army and the Navy,' said Capt. George Sutton, the Strategic and Theater Sealift Office program manager for the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. 'Considerable investments in the Austal shipyard, coupled with the implementation of proven commercial technology, gives me high levels of confidence in the shipyard's ability to execute the program.'
To pave the way for the start of fabrication, the JHSV program completed an extensive Production Readiness Review on Oct. 20. The ship's design maturity and readiness, the availability of materials and components, and the shipbuilder's ability to successfully start fabrication were all closely evaluated. Following the review, the Navy granted authorization for the company to begin construction.
Austal's recently constructed Modular Manufacturing Facility will eventually provide a five-fold increase in the company's existing construction capacity. This facility will have the ability to build both the Littoral Combat Ship and JHSV."
