Austal USA Holds Keel Laying Ceremony For Its 1st Steel Ship, the USNS Billy Frank Jr.

On Tuesday, Austal USA marked the official beginning of the construction for its first-ever steel vessel — the future USNS Billy Frank Jr. — which will become the Navy’s eleventh towing, salvage, and rescue ship, designated T-ATS 11.

Austal USA rejoiced this moment with a keel-laying event on Tuesday afternoon. Peggen Frank (the vessel’s sponsor) and her husband, Willie Frank III, reportedly authenticated this keel by welding the initials onto a keel plate, which will then be welded to the vessel’s hull.

They were further aided by Brandon Auld, a four-year Austal U.S. veteran and a-class structural fitter. It will be the navy’s 11th towing, salvage, and rescue vessel, designated T-ATS 11.

Billy Frank Jr. used to be a member of the Nisqually Indian tribe and also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War.

His son, William Frank III, spoke to FOX10 regarding what the keel laying means to the family. He thinks his father’s received several awards over the past nine years since he passed away, but this is an amazing honour — one, the U.S. Navy, his father was a Marine, so to think about a Navy is going to be named after him is a good time to have been alive now.

The T-ATS 11 is the first one of the five construction deals awarded to Austal for the U.S. Navy T-ATS vessels.

These ships will offer ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support U.S. fleet operations. They will also be a multi-mission common hull platform capable of towing heavy vessels. The delivery of T-ATS 11 is scheduled for late 2024.

Austal USA has also retooled its aluminum-only shipyard to handle the construction of steel-hulled vessels.

The shipbuilder has used its facilities along the Mobile River to construct the Littoral Combat vessels that belong to the aluminium Independence class and Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels that belong to the Spearhead class.

Reference: Fox10 News

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