Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport
USNS
Choctaw County in
Mayport on 7 October 2014
History
United States
Name USNS Choctaw County
Namesake
Operator Military Sealift Command
Awarded 28 January 2010[ 1]
Builder Austal USA
Laid down 8 November 2011[ 1]
Launched 1 October 2012[ 1]
In service 6 June 2013[ 1] [ 2]
Renamed from Vigilant
Reclassified T-EPF-2, 2015
Identification
Motto Harvet Peace, Prepare For War
Status Active
General characteristics
Class and type Spearhead -class expeditionary fast transport
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
Speed 43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph)
Troops 312
Crew 41
Aircraft carried Medium helicopter
Aviation facilities Helipad
USNS Choctaw County (JHSV-2/T-EPF-2) , (ex-Vigilant ) is the second Spearhead -class expeditionary fast transport ,[ 1] which is operated by the United States Navy ' s Military Sealift Command and was built in Mobile, Alabama .[ 3] [ 4]
Capabilities
The EPF can transport US Army and US Marine Corps company -sized units with their vehicles, or reconfigure to become a troop transport for an infantry battalion .[ 3]
It has a flight deck for helicopter operations and a loading ramp that allows vehicles to quickly drive on and off the ship. The ramp is suitable for the types of austere piers and quay walls common in developing countries. EPF has a shallow draft (under 15 feet (4.6 m)).[ 3]
Construction and career
On 6 October 2011, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced in Ackerman, Mississippi that the second Expeditionary Fast Transport , previously having been named Vigilant by the United States Army before the transfer of the EPF program to the Navy,[ 1] would be named USNS Choctaw County .[ 5] Since the ship will be operated by the Military Sealift Command and not the United States Navy itself, it will carry the USNS designation and not USS. The ship is named for three U.S. counties, located in Alabama , Mississippi , and Oklahoma ,[ 6] all three of which are named for the Choctaw tribe of American Indians .
The ship is laid down on 8 November 2011 and launched on 1 October 2012 by Austal USA . She was commissioned on 6 June 2013.
References
External links
Media related to IMO 9648001 at Wikimedia Commons