Mobile Landing Platform News

Shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO, a subsidiary of aerospace and defense company General Dynamics (GD), announced on Friday that it received $1.4 billion in U.S. Navy contract modifications for construction of a sixth Expeditionary Sea Base ship (ESB 8) and two additional John Lewis-class fleet oilers (T-AO 211 and 212). This award comes in addition to $600 million already received to procure long-lead time materials for the same ships. The contract modification also provides an option for the Navy to procure an additional oiler…

San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO said it has been awarded $600 million in U.S. Navy contract modifications for long-lead-time material to support construction of the seventh and eighth ships in the John Lewis-class fleet oiler (T-AO) program, as well as the sixth ship in the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program.The contract modifications for long-lead-time material provide $500 million for T-AO 211 (Thurgood Marshall) and T-AO 212 (Ruth Bader Ginsburg), and $100 million…

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5) Saturday, at Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado, Calif.Built by General Dynamics NASSCO, the 785-foot USS Miguel Keith is the third ESB variant of the Expeditionary Transfer Dock platform (ESD). Expeditionary Mobile Base was previously known as Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB) in the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) program. ESBs are highly flexible platforms that provide logistics movement from sea to shore supporting a broad range of military operations.

The U.S. Navy has a balanced fleet, but it wants to grow bigger and better. Will the budget allow both? Maritime Reporter's March 2017 cover story on the U.S. Navy was all about the numbers. There exists several plans to grow the fleet beyond the current number of 308 ships, the Mitre recommendation of 414 ships, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment 340-ship proposal, and the Navy’s decision to grow the fleet to 355 ships, and the Trump administration’s 350. With so many numbers being bandied about, there are even more suggestions on how to get there.

Marking its seventh ship delivery in the span of just over a year, General Dynamics NASSCO has delivered the newly built ECO Class tanker Garden State for American Petroleum Tankers. Garden State was delivered during a special signing ceremony and is one of three classes of ships delivered by the San Diego-based shipyard since June of last year. “In the past year, NASSCO shipbuilders have delivered seven ships – or the equivalent to 100,000 tons worth of steel,” said Kevin Graney, vice president and general manager for General Dynamics NASSCO.

San Diego based shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO delivered three lead ships in 2015: USNS Lewis B. Puller, the Isla Bella and the Lone Star State. Each vessel represents three new and separate ship classes and highlights the builder’s diverse portfolio of commercial and government contracts, the company said. In June, NASSCO delivered the USNS Lewis B. Puller to the U.S. Navy, the first ship in the Expeditionary Base Mobile (ESB) class. Previously classified as a Mobile Landing Platform Afloat Forward Staging Base (MLP AFSB)…

General Dynamics NASSCO has invested several hundred million in capital projects as part of its efforts to increase efficiencies via  modular shipbuilding, including: two 300-ton cranes allowing shipbuilders the ability to increase the size of the erectable blocks; a block assembly line to optimize construction of commercial ship blocks; inverted block and grand block outfit areas to more fully install components and equipment on blocks; and a state-of the-art, environmentally-friendly blast and paint facility to paint blocks indoors with high capacity equipment.

Shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO delivered the U.S. Navy’s newest ship, the USNS Lewis B. Puller (MLP 3 AFSB) on Friday, June 12. The ship is named in honor of the late U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Lewis “Chesty” Puller, the most decorated Marine and the only one to be awarded five Navy Crosses. The AFSB modifications add a 52,000 square-foot flight deck, fuel and equipment storage, repair spaces, magazines, mission planning spaces and accommodations for up to 250 personnel.

General Dynamics National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) christened the USNS Lewis B. Puller (MLP 3 AFSB) in early February in San Diego. USNS Lewis B. Puller, the third vessel of the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) class, is the first of which to be configured as an Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB). While the Lewis B. Puller is the third in the series, in some respects it has lead ship qualities as it is designated MLP 3 / AFSB, the first to be equipped with a flight deck, a hangar and accommodations for about 250 people.

General Dynamics NASSCO christened the U.S. Navy’s newest ship, the USNS Lewis B. Puller (MLP-3 AFSB), on Saturday during a christening ceremony held at the San Diego builder’s shipyard. This third Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) is the first ship of the class to be configured as an Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB), adding a flight deck, berthing, fuel storage, equipment storage, repair spaces and accommodations for up to 250 personnel. The ship is capable of supporting missions including counter-piracy operations…

Shipbuilder General Dynamics National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. – NASSCO – will christen the USNS Lewis B. Puller (MLP 3 AFSB) Saturday, February 7, 2015 in San Diego. General Dynamic’s NASSCO arguably has the most diverse and enviable shipbuilding backlog in the U.S., with its navy and commercial orderbook stretching out for three years. Its new ship, the USNS Lewis B. Puller, is the third vessel of the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) class, the first of which to be configured as an Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB). NASSCO balances a newbuild and repair workload with the U.S.

General Dynamic’s NASSCO in San Diego arguably has the most diverse and enviable shipbuilding backlog in the U.S., with its navy and commercial orderbook stretching out for three years. With the yard humming at record pace, we sat down with Kevin Graney, VP & GM in San Diego to discuss how he and his team intend to keep the momentum rolling forward. General Dynamics National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. – NASSCO – has quietly become the face of U.S. shipbuilding, deftly balancing a newbuild and repair workload with the U.S.

The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics NASSCO a $498 million contract for the detail design and construction of the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB). NASSCO is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD). Under this option, NASSCO will provide the detail design and construction efforts to build the second AFSB of the Mobile Landing Platform-class ships. The work will be performed at NASSCO’s San Diego shipyard and is scheduled to be completed by March 2018. The MLP AFSB is a flexible platform and a key element in the Navy’s large-scale airborne mine countermeasures mission. With accommodations for 250 personnel and a large helicopter flight deck…

The Navy's third Mobile Landing Platform (MLP), Lewis B. Puller successfully completed launch and float-off at the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) shipyard Nov. Lewis B. Puller is the first afloat forwarding staging base (AFSB) variant of the MLP. The ship is designed around four core capabilities - aviation, berthing, equipment staging area, and command and control - and optimized to support a variety of maritime missions. "The maturity and stability of the Mobile Landing Platform shipbuilding program has allowed for the smooth transition to the afloat forward staging base variant," said Capt. Henry Stevens, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager, Program Executive Office, Ships.

1. Ocean Ships, Inc., Houston, Texas, is being awarded a $10,461,769 modification for the previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00033-13-C-3333) to exercise the second option period of this contract for the operation and maintenance of two Mobile Landing Platform ships, USNS Montford Point and USNS John Glenn. These ships support the Military Sealift Command’s prepositioning fleet by transferring rolling stock and other cargos in-stream with other ships via ramp connections, as well as landing and deploying air-cushion non-displacement craft by means of inclined decks. Work will be performed worldwide, and work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015.

Ship construction programs move ahead, but it’s not smooth sailing. Navies and Coast Guards everywhere face budgetary pressure, even in the U.S. which has the largest Navy in the world. The balance between desire for capacity and capability and pressure for affordability has never been more acute with the precarious budgetary issues presented by declining defense budgets, sequestration, continuing resolutions and government shutdowns. Even so, there are ongoing major construction efforts to include large nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines…

US Department of Defense inform that General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California, is being awarded a not-to-exceed US$64,056,766 modification under a previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2229) to procure advance material for the Mobile Landing Platform 4 (MLP4) Afloat Forward Staging Base platform. DoD explain that this action allows the procurement of ship sets for the purchase specifications supporting integrated propulsion, main diesel generator engines, propeller and shafting, integrated bridge, and voice communications. Work will be performed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (38 percent); Beloit, Wisconsin (37 percent)…

Department of Defense, informs that Oceaneering International, Inc., Hanover, Maryland, is being awarded $8,941,224 for cost-plus-fixed-fee task order 0004 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00014-11-D-0327) for the Advanced Mooring System (AMS) Phase III Development. The Office of Naval Research is interested in a technology designed to develop skin-to-skin mooring capabilities for the Navy because there is a need to quickly and safely moor lightweight hull connectors and high-flare container ships to the mobile landing platform in high sea states. No system exists to do this. The AMS will…

The Navy's top admiral joined his sea service counterparts to discuss the importance of the sea services at the Sea-Air-Space Service Chief Update Panel today. Speaking to members of national and international defense industries, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert encouraged partnership and increased reliance on payload capacity rather than platform designs. "We need lower cost approaches," said Greenert. Citing recent anti-piracy operations that used larger platforms…

General Dynamics NASSCO today delivered the USNS John Glenn (MLP 2), the second ship of the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) class, to the U.S. Navy. The ship is named after the Honorable John Glenn for his exceptional and decorated service as a U.S. Marine Corps pilot, astronaut and U.S. Senator. Construction of the USNS John Glenn began in April 2012. Throughout the MLP program, NASSCO has incorporated more than 10,000 improvement ideas into its operations which contributed to controlling costs and delivering the MLP 2 on schedule with no open discrepancies.

General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics inform that the new ship, (named in honor of the famed Marine Corps pilot, Congressional Space Medal of Honor recipient and four-term U.S. senator) is the second of 3 Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) vessels designed and built by NASSCO. The christening ceremony took place at NASSCO's San Diego shipyard. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert was the ceremony's principal speaker, and Lyn Glenn…

The U.S. Navy said it will christen Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) John Glenn Feb. 1, during a 1 a.m. PST ceremony in San Diego, Calif. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Lyn Glenn, daughter of John Glenn, will serve as the ship's sponsor. Upon delivery to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC), John Glenn will be designated as a United States Naval Ship (USNS), and will have a core crew of 34 civilian mariners who will operate and navigate the ship.

General Dynamics NASSCO today hosted a keel laying ceremony for the USNS Lewis B. Puller, the third ship in the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) class. The ship is named in honor of Lewis B. Puller, the most decorated U.S. Marine in history and the only one to be awarded five Navy Crosses. Mrs. Elizabeth Glueck was the honoree for the keel-laying ceremony. She is the wife of Lieutenant General Kenneth J. Glueck, Jr., deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration; commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command; and commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Strategic Command. Mrs.