Artist rendering of a Spearhead class Joint High Speed Vessel marked JHSV-1 |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Austal, Australia |
| Operators: | United States Navy |
| Built: | 2010s |
| Building: | 1 |
| Planned: | 10 |
| Completed: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 1,515 tonnes |
| Length: | 103.0 m (337 ft 11 in) |
| Beam: | 28.5 m (93 ft 6 in) |
| Draft: | 3.83 m (12 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × MTU 20V8000 M71L diesel engines 4 × ZF 60000NR2H reduction gears |
| Speed: | 43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph) |
| Troops: | 312 |
| Crew: | 41 |
| Aircraft carried: | Medium helicopter |
Spearhead class Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) is a United States Navy-led shipbuilding program to provide "a platform intended to support users in the Department of the Navy and Department of the Army. The Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) program is a cooperative effort for a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intra-theater transport of medium sized cargo payloads. JHSV will reach speeds of 35–45 knots (65–83 km/h; 40–52 mph) and allow for the rapid transit and deployment of conventional or special forces as well as equipment and supplies."[1][2]
On 2 May 2011 all Army JHSV were transferred to the Navy.[3]
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The JHSV will be able to transport US Army and US Marine Corps company-sized units with their vehicles, or reconfigure to become a troop transport for an infantry battalion.[1]
It will have a flight deck for helicopter operations and a load ramp that will allow vehicles to quickly drive on and off the ship. The ramp will be suitable for the types of austere piers and quay walls common in developing countries. JHSV will have a shallow draft (under 15 feet (4.6 m)).[1]
The design is 70 percent common with the Hawaii Superferry.[4]
The JHSV program combines the Army's Theater Support Vessel (TSV) program (dating from 2004) with the Navy and Marine Corps High Speed Connector (HSC) (requirement dating from 2004).[5][6]
The JHSV program received Milestone A approval in May 2006. The Navy awarded Phase One preliminary design contracts in early 2008, and a detail design and construction contract in the 4th Quarter of FY08.[1]
The Navy's Program Executive Office, Ships will conduct acquisition for both the Army and Navy, but each service will fund its own ships. After delivery, each service will be responsible for manning, maintaining, and providing full lifecycle support for their respective vessels.[1]
USNS Spearhead, the first ship in the class, was launched in September 2011 and is expected to be delivered in early 2012.[7] Construction of JHSV2 is underway. The Navy expects to purchase 23 JHSV vessels over 30 years.[8]
The USN has been operating HSVs for some years, notably the HSV-X1 Joint Venture, HSV-2 Swift, USAV Spearhead (TSV-X1), MV Westpac Express (HSV-4676), and USS Independence (LCS-2).
In June 2011, a fifty-ton module was damaged at the Austal shipyard in Mobile during the construction of USS Vigilant.[12]
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