Austal

Type	Public (ASX:ASB)
Founded	1988
Headquarters	Henderson, Western Australia
Industry	Shipbuilding
Products	Aluminium commercial and defence vessels
Employees	2400
Website	www.austal.com

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.

Austal has five different production facilities, three of them on the Australian continent, one in Margate, Tasmania and one in the United States. The Australian shipyards are located in Henderson, Western Australia; the one in the United States is based in Mobile, Alabama.

Contents 1 Products 1.1 Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 1.2 Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) 1.3 Armidale class 1.4 Commercial and Leisure Vessels 2 Notes and references 3 External links

[edit] Products

[edit] Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)

In October 2005, Austal/General Dynamics was awarded a contract to build the first of their design for a Littoral Combat Ship. The keel of the future USS Independence (LCS-2) was laid on 19 January 2006 at Austal USA's yard in Mobile, Alabama, and the naming ceremony was held on 4 October 2008.^[1]

The originally planned second Austal/GD ship (LCS-4) was canceled on November 1, 2007.^[2]

On May 1, 2009, the Navy renewed the contract with Austal/GD to build the second LCS, the USS Coronado (LCS-4), with delivery scheduled for May 2012..^[3]

The LCS 2 is the first ship built by Austal USA for the U.S. Navy and the Navy’s first Trimaran Littoral Combat Ship. It is the first naval warship constructed in Mobile, Alabama since World War II. The basis of Austal's seaframe design is the 127 metre trimaran hull 'Benchijigua Express'.

[edit] Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV)

In November 2008, Austal has won the contract to design and build the US Department of Defence’s next generation high-speed catamaran, multi-use platform, the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), as part of a program potentially worth over US$1.6 billion.

As Prime contractor, Austal will design and construct the first 103-metre JHSV, with options for 9 additional vessels expected to be exercised between FY09 and FY13.

The new JHSV is similar to the Austal-built WestPac Express operated by the US Marines for the past seven years.

The JHSV will be able to carry 700 short tons (including Abrams Main Battle Tanks) 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots and be able to unload at roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities. It will be 103 meters long, 28.5 meters beam with a crew of 22 to 40.^[4]

The first three will be named Fortitude (JHSV 1), Vigilant (JHSV 2) and Spearhead (JHSV 3).^[5]

[edit] Armidale class

Between June 2005 and February 2008, Austal completed delivery of 14, 56.8-metres (186 ft) Armidale class patrol boats to the Royal Australian Navy for costal defense.

[edit] Commercial and Leisure Vessels

Austal has designed and built a range of commercial and leisure vessels, including passenger and vehicle-passenger ferries, offshore crewboats, private and commercial liveaboard vessels and cruise vessels.

See Projects under Austal USA, about Alakai and Huakai, the two high-speed vehicle-passenger catamarans built for Hawaii Superferry.

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Austal

• Austal official website
• Austal global deliveries