TSAMTO, February 1. The Command of the US Navy announced the ceremony of laying the keel of the high-speed expeditionary transport EPF (Expeditionary Fast Transport) of the "Sperhid" class, intended for the US Navy, held on January 26 at the Austal USA enterprise.
(EPF-14) "Kodi" will be the 14th ship of the series and the first ship of the "Sperhid" class, made in the Flight II configuration.
Starting with the "Kodi", the ships of the Flight II configuration will have expanded capabilities compared to the EPF version in service by equipping with advanced resuscitation facilities, including an intensive care unit and a medical ward. The capabilities of the EPF will allow to stabilize the condition of the wounded after operations without the need for referral to higher institutions.
As reported by TSAMTO, in November 2008, a contract was signed with Austal for the supply of 10 multi-purpose landing ships JHSV (now EPF) to the US Navy. Their total cost was about $1.6 billion. In September 2016, the US Navy signed an initial contract with Austal USA for the construction of the 11th and 12th transports. In October 2018, the US Navy placed an order for the purchase of equipment for the construction of the 13th ship of the series, and in December 2018 – the 14th. In March 2019, the US Navy signed the main contract with Austal USA for the construction of EPF-13 and EPF-14. Its cost was $261.776 million. In February 2021, a contract was signed with Austal USA for the supply of the 15th ship of the series.
The lead vessel of the series, JHSV-1 "Sperhid", was transferred to the US Navy Maritime Transportation Command on December 5, 2012. To date, 12 ships have been delivered to the customer: the 12th transport, (EPF-12) "Newport", was transferred on September 3, 2020.
Construction of the EPF-13 "Apalachicola" began on August 19, 2019, epiphany – November 13, 2021. Construction of the (T-EPF-14) "Kodi" began on October 20, 2020. To date, the cost of the program for the construction of 14 EPF ships exceeds $ 2 billion. It is expected that the construction of the 15th vessel, (EPF-15) "Point Loma", will begin in the near future.
The 103 m long EPF vessel can transport 600 tons of cargo over a distance of 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots. On board the ship can accommodate up to 312 people landing on individual seats. The crew is 26 people. Each ship is equipped with a flight deck for receiving various types of helicopters at any time of the day, including the CH-53 Super Stallion. A small draft (less than 15 feet) expands the possibilities of using EPF in the coastal zone and provides access to ports.
