According to US-based shipbuilder Austal twitter’s account, work on the T-ATS 12, the newest towing, salvage, and rescue ship for the US Navy, started on January 30.
To assist fleet operations, the Navajo-class (T-ATS) has ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities. T-ATS replaces and completes the functions previously carried out by the Rescue and Salvage Ships (T-ARS 50) and Fleet Ocean Tug (T-ATF 166) class vessels.
The T-ATS 12 is the second steel ship being built at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, and production has just begun.
Multi Mission Common Hull Platforms based on commercial offshore Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) boats will be used on Navajo-class ships.
T-ATS assists with ongoing missions such as towing, salvage, rescue, oil spill response, humanitarian aid, and wide-area search and surveillance, among others. They also offer modular payloads with hotel services and the proper interfaces, enabling future quick capabilities projects.
Austal began T-ATS 11 construction in July of last year. The company was awarded a 144 million contract for the thorough design and building of T-ATS.
