Austal Begins Work On Steel Ship

MOBILE, Ala. — A ceremony for the first cut of Mobile-based Austal USA’s first steel ship, a Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship being built for the U.S. Navy, took place on July 11. Dave Growden, the company’s vice president of new construction, called it “the next chapter in Austal USA’s history,” AL.com reported. Rear Adm. Thomas J. Anderson noted the affairs in Ukraine and the South China Sea that underpin the global power struggle the U.S. is in with Russia and China. In addition to confronting those, the ship, in a class designated as the T-ATS by the Navy, might also be used in humanitarian relief, spill response and search and surveillance missions. Called “very important” by Anderson, it is the first of eight the Navy has ordered. Two are to be built by Austal, and options could extend its work to several more. With this and other contracts, Austal plans to increase its workforce of approximately 2,800 people in a “phased approach,” Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh said. Engineers and designers will be needed first, with a general increase following as the T-ATS and other projects enter the manufacturing phase.