The Navy’s 10th Expeditionary Fast Transport ship, Burlington, successfully completed Acceptance Trials, August 3 after two days of underway evaluation in the Gulf of Mexico.
The ship successfully demonstrated the readiness of its equipment and systems for operations, both dockside and underway, for the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. The ship returned to the Austal USA shipyard and will now begin preparations for delivery to the Navy later this year.
«Acceptance trials are a major step towards delivering Burlington to the Navy», said Captain Scot Searles, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «The ship performed very well this week, which is a great reflection of the commitment of our industry and government team to delivering quality ships».
EPFs are versatile, non-combatant vessels designed to operate in shallow-draft ports and waterways, increasing operational flexibility for a wide range of activities including maneuver and sustainment, relief operations in small or damaged ports, flexible logistics support, or as the key enabler for rapid transport.
They are capable of interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, as well as on/off-loading vehicles such as a fully combat-loaded Abrams Main Battle Tank. Each vessel includes a flight deck to support day and night aircraft launch and recovery operations. Burlington will have airline-style seating for 312 embarked forces with fixed berthing for 104. Also, under construction at Austal are future Puerto Rico (EPF-11) and Newport (EPF-12).
As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats, and craft.
SPECIFICATIONS
| PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS | |
| Material | Hull and superstructure – aluminium alloy |
| Length overall | 103 m/337.9 feet |
| Beam overall | 28.5 m/93.5 feet |
| Hull draft (maximum) | 3.83 m/12.57 feet |
| MISSION BAY | |
| Area (with tie-downs) | 1,863 m2/20,053 feet2 |
| Clear Height | 4.75 m/15.6 feet |
| Turning diameter | 26.2 m/86.0 feet |
| ISO TEU (Twenty Equivalent Units) Stations | 6 Interface Panels |
| ACCOMMODATIONS | |
| Crew | 41 |
| Single SR | 2 |
| Double SR | 6 |
| Quad SR | 7 |
| Troop Seats | 312 |
| Troop Berths | Permanent: 104 |
| Temporary: 46 | |
| Galley and Messing | 48 |
| PROPULSION | |
| Main Engines | 4 × MTU 20V8000 M71L Diesel Engines 4 × 9.1 MW |
| Gear boxes | 4 × ZF 60000NR2H Reduction Gears |
| Waterjets | 4 × Wartsila WLD 1400 SR |
| PERFORMANCE | |
| Average Speed | 35 knots/40 mph/65 km/h @ 90% MCR with 635 mt (700 st) payload |
| Maximum Speed | 43 knots/50 mph/80 km/h without payload |
| Maximum Transit Range | 1,200 NM/1,381 miles/2,222 km |
| Self-Deployment Range | 5,600 NM/6,444 miles/10,371 km |
| Survival Through | SS-7 |
| AVIATION FACILITIES | |
| NAVAIR Level 1 Class 2 Certified Flight Deck for one helicopter | |
| Centreline parking area for one helicopter | |
| NAVAIR Level 1 class 4 Type 2 Certified VERTREP (Vertical Replenishment) | |
| Helicopter Control Station | |
| AUXILIARY SYSTEMS | |
| Active Ride Control | Transcom Interceptors |
| Foils: 3.24 m2/34.9 feet2 each, forward on inboard sides of demi-hulls | |
| Vehicle Ramp | Articulated Slewing Stern Ramp |
| Straight aft to 45 Starboard | |
| Telescoping Boom Crane | 12.3 mt @ 15 m, 18.2 mt @ 10 m/13.6 Lt @ 49.2 feet, 20.1 Lt @ 32.8 feet |
Ships
USNS Spearhead (EPF-1), Delivered
USNS Choctaw County (EPF-2), Delivered
USNS Millinocket (EPF-3), Delivered
USNS Fall River (EPF-4), Delivered
USNS Trenton (EPF-5), Delivered
USNS Brunswick (EPF-6), Delivered
USNS Carson City (EPF-7), Delivered
USNS Yuma (EPF-8), Delivered
USNS City of Bismark (EPF-9), Delivered
USNS Burlington (EPF-10), Christened
USNS Puerto Rico (EPF-11), Under construction
USNS Newport (EPF-12), On order