The U.S. Navy’s 10th Expeditionary Fast Transport ship, Burlington, successfully completed Acceptance Trials, Aug. 3 after two days of underway evaluation in the Gulf of Mexico.
The ship successfully demonstrated the readiness of its equipment and systems for operations, both dockside and underway, for the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. The ship returned to the Austal USA shipyard and will now begin preparations for delivery to the Navy later this year.
EPFs are versatile, non-combatant vessels designed to operate in shallow-draft ports and waterways, increasing operational flexibility for a wide range of activities including maneuver and sustainment, relief operations in small or damaged ports, flexible logistics support, or as the key enabler for rapid transport.
They are capable of interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, as well as on/off-loading vehicles such as a fully combat-loaded Abrams Main Battle Tank. Each vessel includes a flight deck to support day and night aircraft launch and recovery operations. Burlington will have airline-style seating for 312 embarked forces with fixed berthing for 104. Also under construction at Austal are future Puerto Rico (EPF 11) and Newport (EPF 12).
As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats, and craft.
The photo above is USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6). This ship is in the same class as USNS Burlington (EPF 10)
