An ocean surveillance ship has entered service in Japan while construction progresses on a floating staging base and an amphibious transport dock for the US Navy. A Thai collaboration has been formed with the aim of building offshore patrol vessels for local use. Lastly, a Turkish design firm has unveiled images of a new warship design.
The US Navy christened its final expeditionary sea base (ESB) ship, the future USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr., during a ceremony at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego on Saturday, March 7.
The ship is named in honour of US Marine Corps Private Hector A. Cafferata Jr., a Medal of Honor recipient recognised for his heroism at the Battle of Chosin during the Korean War.
The US Navy's ESBs are optimised to support a variety of maritime-based missions including: special operations forces support; airborne mine countermeasures; crisis response force sea basing; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and unmanned aviation systems support.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) commissioned a new ocean surveillance ship into service on Friday, March 6.
JS Bingo is named after two former administrative districts of Japan. She is the fourth Hibiki-class SWATH surveillance ship to be acquired by the JMSDF and was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The Hibiki-class ships were originally developed in the late 1980s during the closing years of the Cold War to provide the JMSDF with enhanced ocean surveillance capability in response to the Soviet Navy's regular deployments of diesel-electric submarines near Japanese territorial waters.
Turkish naval architecture firm Kuasar Marin Engineering recently unveiled design images of a new type of air defence frigate.
The 148-metre vessel will have a crew complement of 229 and a propulsion arrangement consisting of two diesel engines, gas turbines and controllable-pitch propellers. The propulsion will deliver a top speed of 30 knots, a cruising speed of 18 knots, and a range of 5,000 nautical miles.
The ship will also boast stealth features
A group of Thai companies including Marsun Shipyard have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance large-scale shipbuilding projects including the construction of new frigates for the Royal Thai Navy.
Under the MOU, Marsun, the Thai Shipbuilding and Repairing Association and eight other shipbuilders will work towards integrating the capabilities of Thailand’s private sector in advancing large-scale shipbuilding projects domestically.
Marsun said the initiative aims to support the operations of the Royal Thai Navy and of national security agencies while strengthening Thailand’s defence industry capabilities to meet international standards in a sustainable manner.
Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated and laid the keel of the US Navy's 16th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock (LPD) in a ceremony on Tuesday, March 3.
Named after Pennsylvania's largest city, the future USS Philadelphia will be able to support embarking, transporting, and landing US Marines and their equipment by conventional landing craft (LCU) or air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC).
The LPD will be fitted with a well deck that can accommodate either one LCU or two LCACs, and the ship's capabilities will be further enhanced by its flight deck and hangar, enabling her to operate a variety of helicopters as well as the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.