From yesterday’s DOD Contracts, emphasis mine.
Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded an $867,666,667 fixed-priced incentive (firm-target), undefinitized contract modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-19-C-2227) for the detail, design, and construction of three expeditionary medical ships, an Expeditionary Fast Transport variant. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (87%); Chesapeake, Virginia (2%); Newark, Delaware (2%); Mandeville, Louisiana (2%); Spring, Texas (1%); various locations within the U.S., each accounting for less than one percent (5%); and various locations outside the U.S., each accounting for less than one percent (1%). Work is expected to complete by May 2030. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $149,833,000; and fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $63,667,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
The EPFs are speedy (43-knot) little (1500 ton, 337ft o.a.) trimarans made by Austal and manned by the civilian mariners of the MSC to carry a reinforced company-sized unit of ground-pounders or cargo intra-theatre.
The Navy has been brainstorming using an EPF equipped with an expeditionary medical unit (EMU) inside the mission bay that, while falling short of a full-size hospital ship, would allow an EPF/EMU to serve as a quick transit platform for rapid medical response. This could be helpful in special operations and in sending a smaller package overseas for humanitarian support than an LHD or USNS Mercy/Comfort.
The first of these, USNS Apalachicola (EPF 13), was accepted earlier this year and the future USNS Cody (EPF 14) is pending delivery.
USNS Apalachicola (EPF-13) on Acceptance Trials in early 2023 via Austal. You’d figure they’d paint these white and put a giant red cross on them, but hey…
The future USNS Point Loma (EPF-15) and the as-yet-unnamed EPF-16 are also under construction by Austal. Each of these ships is being constructed to “Flight II” specifications that incorporate Role 2E medical capability and capabilities to support V-22 Osprey flight operations.
I’d imagine that the latest contract is for EPF 17, 18, and 19.