USNS Spearhead is the first ship in the , to be operated by the Military Sealift Command

Military Sealift Command

The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...

 and christened on 17 September 2011.

History

Construction of Spearhead began on 22 July 2010, when the ship's keel was laid at the Austal

Austal

Austal is an Australian company that specializes in the design and construction of aluminium vessels. Its main products include passenger and freight ferries, luxury yachts and military vessels....

 facility in Mobile, Alabama

Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...

 in a ceremony that included officials from the US Navy, the US Army, the state of Alabama and the city of Mobile. At the time, Spearhead was intended for service with the US Army in the 7th Sustainment Brigade as USAV Spearhead.

Spearhead was launched on 8 September 2011, though she did not enter the water until several days later; her launch was the moving of the vessel from the shed where she was constructed onto a floating drydock. At the time, she was scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in early 2012, a delay from the original target of September 2011.

Spearhead was christened on 17 September 2011. Her sponsor was a former Army officer, Kenneth Wahlman; as part of the ceremony, his daughter broke a bottle of champagne across Spearheads bow. Spearhead, after delivery to the Navy in early 2012, will undergo sea trials and tests, and in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 is planned to begin operations, homeported at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek

Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek

The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek is the major operating base for the Amphibious Forces in the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet. The base comprises four locations in three states, including almost 12,000 acres of real estate. Its Little Creek location in Virginia Beach, Virginia totals...

. She will be crewed by civilian sailors from the Military Sealift Command, and her first captain will be Douglas D. Casavant, Jr.

Role

Spearhead, as well as other ships of her class, are built to a modular design that allows them to be rapidly refitted with various equipment within a 20000 ft2 bay depending on the mission at hand. Spearhead is planned for non-combat missions, such as transportation of troops or equipment.

Specifications

Spearhead is 103 metres (337.9 ft) long, 28.5 metres (93.5 ft) in beam and has a draft of 3.83 metres (12.6 ft). She has space for 41 crewmembers, though under normal conditions will sail with 22, as well as sleeping accommodations for up to 150 people and an additional 312 seats for troop transport. She is powered by four MTU

MTU Friedrichshafen

MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH is a manufacturer of commercial internal combustion engines founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl Maybach in 1909...

 20V8000 M71L engines, each with a power of 9.1 MW, driving four Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include large combustion engines...

WLD 1400 SR waterjets through ZF 60000NR2H reduction gears. This allows for a maximum speed of 43 knots (52.4 mph) and a service speed of 35 knots (42.6 mph). There are also facilities for one helicopter.

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