Austal Completes U.S Navy JHSV-2 Choctaw County Ship Sea Trials

JHSV Choctaw County,U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Damian Berg

Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) 2, the future U.S Navy Choctaw County, successfully completed builder's sea trials from March 7-8, in Mobile, Alabama. The ship, now under construction at Austal USA, is the second ship of the JHSV class. Builder's trials are a significant step in the construction and delivery of a ship to the fleet and are the first opportunity to operate the ship underway and test overall system performance prior to demonstration to the U.S Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). Trials included operating the ship's propulsion plant for many hours at different power levels, up to full power; testing and calibration of communication and navigational systems; ride control systems testing; and pollution control systems tests. Maneuverability trials tested the ship's four steerable water jets while a series of high-speed turns demonstrated the stability and agility of JHSV's catamaran hull form. The ship reached speeds of more than 41 knots. Choctaw County is expected to deliver to the U.S Navy this summer. JHSVs are versatile, non-combatant, transport ships used for fast intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles, and equipment. JHSV is designed to commercial standards, with limited modifications for military use. The vessel is capable of transporting 600 short tons 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots and can operate in shallow-draft ports and waterways, interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, and on/off-loading a combat-loaded Abrams Main Battle Tank (M1A2). Other joint requirements include an aviation flight deck to support day and night aircraft launch and recovery operations. JHSV 2 will have airline style seating for 312 embarked forces with fixed berthing for 104.