Austal has officially marked the start of construction of the US Navy’s seventh Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship, the future USNS Solomon Atkinson (T-ATS 12).
The ship is named after Solomon Atkinson, a member of the inaugural SEAL Team One, established in 1962. The decision to name the ship in his honour was made in August 2023.
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The keel laying event was held at Austal USA’s manufacturing facility in Alabama. It was attended by the ship’s sponsors, JoAnn Atkinson, the widow of the ship’s namesake, and their daughters Maria Hayward and Michele Gunyah.
Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships Auxiliary and Special Mission Shipbuilding Program Office programme manager John Lighthammer said: “The keel laying of the future Solomon Atkinson marks the beginning of the construction journey for the ship and we are excited about the vital capabilities this vessel will bring to the fleet.
“It’s an honour that members of the Atkinson family and the Metlakatla Indian Community were present to celebrate this significant milestone in the life of the ship.”
The Navajo-class is designed as a multi-mission platform capable of performing tasks including towing, rescue, salvage, humanitarian assistance, oil spill response, and search and surveillance operations.
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By GlobalDataThese ships are set to be equipped with a 6,000ft² deck to accommodate a range of systems, with the flexibility to host stand-alone and interchangeable equipment.
The T-ATS class is expected to replace the functions of the retiring Rescue and Salvage Ship (T-ARS 50) and Fleet Ocean Tug (T-ATF 166) classes, while also providing the infrastructure to support modular payloads and hotel services for rapid capability deployment.
PEO Ships, a procurement entity within the Department of Defense, oversees the development and acquisition of various naval vessels, including destroyers, amphibious ships and craft, auxiliary ships, special mission and sealift ships, as well as support ships.
Last month, the US Navy celebrated the christening of another Navajo-class vessel, the USNS Billy Frank Jr, which is part of a projected series of ten towing, salvage, and rescue ships (T-ATS) scheduled for delivery into service.
