Tag Archives: USNS Point Loma (T-EPF 15)

Motoring around Mobile Bay

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I took a short jaunt around the Alabama State Docks in upper Mobile Bay and saw some interesting visitors in town for a few months.

Of course, over at MARRS is the bound-for-reefing SS United States. The famous Cold War-era Gibbs & Cox luxury liner and troopship-in-waiting is in Mobile for materials mitigation before her planned reefing near the USS Oriskany off Okaloosa Island.

Meanwhile, over at Austal, the future USNS Point Loma (T-EPF-15) and USS Pierre (LCS-38) are fitting out, with the latter perhaps most remarkable as she is the final installment of her class.

Alabama Shipyard had a three pack of MSC-run assets in for overhaul including the John Lewis-class oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206), the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE-13).

All in all, it was a beautiful day.

Second EPF Flight II inbound

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The Navy christened its 15th Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport operated by Military Sealift Command, the future USNS Point Loma (T-EPF 15), in Mobile over the weekend.

The Spearheads have been quietly getting it done around the world. For instance, sister USNS Yuma (EPF 8) just returned to Norfolk after six years of being forward deployed in the Mediterranean, a tour that included “19 countries, 48 ports of calls visited, over 167,000 nautical miles traveled.”

However, Point Loma will be the second EPF Flight II ship in the series, in short, a theatre mini-hospital ship capable of carrying an embarked Navy (or civilian Public Heath Service) medical unit, two operating rooms, and the ability to support 147 medical patients and 38 MSC civilian crew.

As noted by Austal:

EPF Flight II provides a Role 2E (enhanced) medical capability which includes, among other capabilities, basic secondary health care built around primary surgery; an intensive care unit; ward beds; and limited x-ray, laboratory, and dental support. The EPF’s catamaran design provides inherent stability to allow surgeons to perform underway medical procedures in the ship’s operating suite. Enhanced capabilities to support V-22 flight operations and launch and recover 11-meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats complement the ship’s medical facilities. These Flight II upgrades along with EPF’s speed, maneuverability, and shallow water access are key enablers for mission support of future Distributed Maritime Operations and Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations around the world. Flight II retains the capability of Flight I to support other missions including core logistics.

The Navy is currently embarking a 35-member Expeditionary Medical Unit (EMU) aboard the first EPF Flight II ship delivered by Austal USA, USNS Cody (T-EPF 14), at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story. The equipment for EMUs is contained within ten 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which facilitates storing and transporting the authorized medical and dental allowance list items.

Some pics of EMU-1 on Cody:

This is over and above the upcoming USNS Bethesda (EMS-1) which will be one of a planned three more full-time white-hulled expeditionary medical ships based on the Spearheads.