Austal HSV the First to Fly the Stars and Stripes

Transformational "WestPac Express" keeps Marines moving fast.

Having already completed two years of exemplary service supporting the operations of the US Marine Corps' Third Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) in the Western Pacific theatre, the 101 metre Austal catamaran "WestPac Express" has now achieved another distinction, becoming the first large high speed vessel to be registered and flagged as a commercial ship in the United States.

After a competitive bid process, the HSV was first chartered in July 2001 for a "proof of concept" period. This was so successful that the Military Sealift Command signed a three year charter in January 2002, again after receiving several competing offers. The III MEF charter was the first time the US military had contracted a commercial vessel of this type for military support.

A requirement of the contract was that the vessel be re-flagged to the United States, a demanding process that has been achieved within the ship's normal maintenance periods and was managed by Austal Service. Jim Black, Austal Service Manager, explained that in order to obtain the US flag, every aspect of the ship’s design and construction was rigorously examined by the United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Center in Washington, DC. The ship was subsequently inspected by Officer-in-Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI) personnel from USCG Far East Activities (FEACT) based in Tokyo to ensure compliance with the applicable flag state requirements.

"The USCG had never previously surveyed a lightweight, high-speed vehicle-carrying vessel before and to its credit was extremely thorough in its approach. For example, every one of the ship’s drawings were scrutinised in detail and on numerous occasions it was necessary for Austal to justify certain aspects to the USCG, even though the ship is classed by one of the world’s leading classification societies and built to the IMO's HSC Code," Mr Black said.

"This reflects the high degree of professionalism in the USCG and highlights that meeting US flag requirements for this type of vessel is not the simple process that some may think. Certainly it would be challenging for organisations that do not have the depth of high speed vessel experience and professional engineering expertise that exists within the Austal group," he added.

The new port of registry for “WestPac Express” is Mobile, Alabama where Austal has a modern shipyard that specialises in the construction of high performance aluminium vessels. A joint venture with Bender Shipbuilding and Repair, Austal USA brings Austal's world-leading aluminium ship design and manufacturing capabilities to the United States' commercial and military vessel markets.

Austal USA has already completed six commercial vessels, ranging in size from 25 to 43 metres and is currently building a 58 metre fast passenger-vehicle catamaran. On the military front, Austal USA is playing a key role in one of the three teams awarded contracts for the preliminary design of the US Navy’s new high speed Littoral Combat Ships and is also preparing to bid for the US Army's forthcoming Theatre Support Vessel project.

Transformational technology

Both of these projects are examples of the US military’s force transformation, and there is no doubt that the high speed vessel technology provided by Austal has already had a tremendously positive impact on the way III MEF operates. Capable of sustaining loaded speeds of 36 knots, the diesel-powered aluminium ship can rapidly deploy a complete battalion of 970 Marines and up to 550 tonnes of vehicles and equipment in a single lift, saving both time and money. The enhanced capability is significant because shorter transit times to and from exercises provide Marines with additional opportunities to train in various climates and terrain within the III MEF area of responsibility. This additional training equates to enhanced interoperability with other forces and improved readiness.

According to Marine Capt. Samuel K. Howard, III Marine Expeditionary Force HSV Project Officer, "WestPac Express" is a transformation from how the Marine Corps has travelled in the past. For example, the normal transit from Okinawa to South Korea aboard ferry or amphibious shipping would take two to three days. Moving a Marine infantry battalion by air would take 17 military aircraft.

"With use of the "WestPac Express", a battalion-sized unit with all associated vehicles and equipment can travel to its destination in one run and arrive within 22 to 31 hours throughout most ports in the III MEF Area of Responsibility," Capt. Howard said.

As of July 11, 2003 - the second anniversary of the ship's arrival in Okinawa, Japan – the ship had covered 149,216 nautical miles, many of them open sea passages in challenging sea conditions. "WestPac Express" has handled this rigorous use with ease, losing only four hours to technical delays in two years, demonstrating incredible operational availability of 99.97 per cent.

In those two years the Austal catamaran has carried 37,540 personnel and 24,735 tonnes of cargo including some 3,600 vehicles, 3,525 quadcons/463L pallets and 70 helicopters. In fact virtually every piece of equipment in the Marine Corps inventory has been carried including AAVs, LAVs, HMMWVs (Humvees) and AH-1W Cobra, UH-1N Huey and CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters.

Earlier this year Lt. Gen. Wallace C. Gregson, then Commanding General of III MEF and US Marine Corps Forces Japan, said: "We participate in approximately 70 exercises a year. The HSV enables III MEF to deploy to more places, in a shorter amount of time and costs us less than other forms of transportation. We can deploy with our equipment to places as far away as Australia and be ready to operate when we get there. Nobody moves faster than III MEF."

Another year of achievements The III MEF Marines are continuously moving between locations throughout the Pacific and the utility of the Austal catamaran in this regard is demonstrated by some of its achievements in the last 12 months.

In an operation in October 2002 more than 700 Marines and their equipment, including Humvees, were landed at Yokohama North Dock after being transferred from Okinawa onboard the Austal catamaran. The Marines, from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines were on their way to a two-week stint at Camp Fuji. "WestPac Express" accomplished the task in about 30 hours. Previously III MEF would have used two C-17 transport aircraft and taken up to 20 days and 20 separate lifts to accomplish the same objective.

A few weeks earlier some 250 people, their pets and luggage were involved in a Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni using the Austal HSV. This exercise, which simulates flight from risk, was the first time the sea had been used as an emergency mass-evacuation route from the Air Station.

Iwakuni was the destination for evacuees in operation Courageous Channel, a similar NEO operation exercise conducted out of South Korea. Held in March this year, Courageous Channel involved transporting 132 American or allied forces evacuees across the Korea Strait to safe haven in Iwakuni.

Two months earlier Marines of 3rd Force Service Support Group completed an Alert Contingency Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) High Speed Vessel Demonstration in Okinawa. This involved loading "WestPac Express", taking it to open water and returning to port for the Alert Contingency MAGTF Mobilization Drill, which tested the speed and efficiency with which the Marines could offload the ship. The results were extremely impressive with the Marines and their various tactical vehicles offloaded in just four minutes.

April saw "WestPac Express" playing a key role in support of Exercise Balikatan 2003 in the Philippines. The purpose of the exercise is to better train Philippine and US air, ground and naval forces to handle any contingencies, emergencies or disasters that may arise throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Among the first US service members on the ground were 450 personnel who, along with a variety of military cargo, were transported from Okinawa onboard "WestPac Express".

The high-speed catamaran also aided the logistics task for the previous year’s Balikatan exercise and, in a display of the ship’s ability to quickly supply multiple theatres, continued on to Thailand in support of the Cobra Gold exercise. More than 650 Marines were delivered to Subic Bay (along with Humvees, trucks, LAVs and other supplies) and 215 Marines and 12 pallets of cargo continued to Thailand, with a total transport time of 74 hours from Okinawa. Then it was back to Okinawa to repeat the process.

The success of "WestPac Express" in 2002 saw it again play an important role in this year’s Cobra Gold which is the premier multilateral exercise in the Asia-Pacific region, involving more than 12,000 service personnel from Thailand, the US and Singapore.

In May this year more than 500 Marines from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, III MEF left Okinawa for a 24 hour voyage on the HSV to participate in the Korean Incremental Training Program with 1st Republic of Korea Marine Division in training areas north of the Han River. The three week training program included small-unit combat training designed to increase the mutual readiness and interoperability of the US and ROK units.

Speaking on that occasion, Lt. Gen. Gregson said: "We are responsible for maintaining the capability of rapidly deploying Marines to Korea with robust air and ground elements in response to any type of emergency. The HSV significantly improves our ability to do that and has achieved recognition across the Department of Defense."

Footnote: Following a nomination from President Bush, Lt. Gen. Gregson, Jr., has recently been assigned the position of Commander, US Marine Corps Forces Pacific; Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Pacific; and Commander, Marine Corps Bases Pacific, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. He had served as III MEF’s Commanding General since July 2001.

ENDS