Navy

Vigor lays keel

Representatives from the U.S. Army and federal and local elected officials joined Vigor employees for a keel laying ceremony on September 17, 2019, celebrating the first milestone in the construction of the Army’s next generation landing craft, the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) or MSV(L).

Vigor lays keel for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Landing Craft, Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) at its new Aluminum Fabrication Facility in Vancouver, Washington

The nearly billion dollar contract to build MSV(L) was awarded to Vigor in October, 2017. The new design, developed in partnership with BMT, dramatically improves the capabilities of the current LCM-8 and provides the optimal combination of performance, operational flexibility and life-cycle cost while maintaining the reliability and versatility of the Army’s current craft.

The U.S. Army awarded Vigor the contract to build its new generation landing craft in the fall of 2017

The event began with a warm welcome from Vigor CEO Frank Foti. Remarks were delivered by Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Mayor of Vancouver, Timothy Goddette, U.S. Army Program Executive Office, Combat Support & Combat Service Support and COL (P) Jered P. Helwig, U.S. Army Chief of Transportation. COL (P) Helwig also gave the dedication honoring the service of SSG Elroy F. Wells.

The design for the MSV(L) was developed in partnership with BMT following a detailed study of the Army’s unique needs and the available design options fulfill those needs

The ceremonial weld marked not only the start of the MSV(L) program but also the beginning of a new era in shipbuilding at Vigor’s recently acquired state-of-the-art all Aluminum Fabrication facility in Vancouver. Vigor expects the site to employ up to 400 workers by 2023 building high performance military craft, workboats and aluminum fast ferries in addition to MSV(L).

It dramatically improves the current LCM-8 and provides the optimal combination of performance, operational flexibility and life-cycle cost while maintaining the reliability and versatility of the Army’s current craft

Once the SSG Elroy F. Wells is completed and testing and refinements have occurred, the schedule calls for four vessels in the Low Rate Production phase, followed by up to 32 vessels once Full Rate Production is underway. Vigor’s MSV(L) team consists of a number of key partners including BMT, Gladding-Hearn and Northrop Grumman.

The contract calls for one prototype vessel, four vessels under low rate production, and up to thirty two additional vessels over ten years for use by Army Mariners in even the most difficult environments

 

DESIGN INNOVATION

  • Innovative tribow monohull form maximizes seakeeping, beached stability and provides speeds in excess of 21 knots/24 mph/39 km/h fully laden
  • Exceptional seakeeping characteristics enhance crew comfort and reduce strain on payload
  • Raised center jet and 4-foot (1.2-meter) draft fully laden enable landings on the shallowest beaches
  • Simplicity of design improves platform availability, maintainability, and life-cycle cost
The landing craft’s tribow monohull is an innovative yet deceptively simple design that provides superior maneuverability and stability in high sea states, through the littorals and within inland waterways in support of land-based operations

 

MISSION EFFECTIVENESS

  • The flexibility to maneuver in many different environments
  • The ability to carry modern equipment into diverse littoral settings, up to and including a main battle tank
  • Greater maneuver options in anti-access, area-denial environments
  • Superior seakeeping and survivability
  • No height constraints on payload
  • Range of 360+ nautical miles/414+ miles/666.7 km
MSV(L) is a natural evolution of the BMT Caimen-90, leveraging more than a decade of extensively-tested performance and adapted by the Vigor-BMT team to meet U.S. Army requirements

 

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS

Type Landing Craft
Configuration Tribow Monohull
Material Aluminum
Length (Overall) 117’0″ (35.6m)
Beam (Molded) 28’2” (8.6m)
Speed (Laden) 21 knots/24 mph/39 km/h
Speed (Unladen) 30+ knots/34.5+ mph/55.5 km/h
Range 360+ nautical miles/414+ miles/666.7 km
Main Engines (3) @2,600 HP/1,939 kW
Propulsors (3) Waterjets
Other Bi-fold bow ramp
Kedge anchor system
(2) CROWS II mount
Crew 8
Deck Area 1,697 feet sq/157.6 m sq
Max Capacity 82 ton
Anticipated Payloads (1) main battle tank
(2) armored vehicle
Additional design payloads
Deck Features Drive-through capability. Payload tie-down point grid
Prototype named in honor of SSG Elroy F. Wells, an Army watercraft operator killed in action 12.27.70 in Vietnam