US Navy christens towing and salvage ship Billy Frank Jr.

The US Navy formally named the future USNS Billy Frank Jr., a Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship (T-ATS), during a ceremony on Saturday, March 29, at the facilities of Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.

The T-ATS honours the late Billy Frank Jr., a Native American environmental leader and Korean War veteran who was a member of the Nisqually tribe in Washington. He gained fame in the 1960s and the 1970s for his role in upholding the rights of Native Americans to fish in their traditional waters amid intense discrimination.

The ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue ships will be designed to support the navy's fleet operations. Each T-ATS will have a multi-mission common hull platform capable of towing heavy ships.

The vessels will be capable of supporting a variety of missions including oil spill response, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue, and surveillance.

The T-ATS will have 6,000 square feet (600 square metres) of deck space for embarked systems. A large, unobstructed deck will allow for the embarkation of a variety of stand-alone and interchangeable systems.

The future USNS Billy Frank Jr. is one of three T-ATS vessels under construction at Austal USA with two more under contract.