Austal founder John Rothwell expects the company’s Mobile shipyard to stay busy long after the Navy stops ordering Littoral Combat Ships, with the American operation converting at least half of its capacity to steel shipbuilding.
Speaking in a podcast interview with Blenheim Partners, Rothwell said he believes Austal USA could still land additional orders for its aluminum Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels, but the same is not true for the aluminum-hulled LCS. “There are probably no more (aluminum) warships,” Rothwell said.
A even split ahead
The U.S. Navy has ordered 19 Independence-variant LCS from Austal since 2006, and six of the final seven were under construction in Mobile when Rothwell spoke. The military has ordered 15 Spearhead-class EPFs since 2010, with two of the final three then being built on the Mobile River.
To prepare for what comes next, the Navy awarded Austal a $50 million grant to convert part of its production to steel, which the company is matching with its own investment. Rothwell said he expects the Mobile operation to be split evenly going forward — half of it continuing to build aluminum ships, the other half focused on steel.
Rothwell said the U.S. government encouraged the conversion because it will be needed to meet the Navy’s future steel-ship requirements.
Ferries and fleet servicing
Beyond warships, Rothwell pointed to growing worldwide demand for high-speed aluminum ferries, the commercial cousin of the EPF design. He also said Austal planned to open a dry dock in the San Diego area to service LCS hulls and other Navy ships, extending the Mobile-built vessels’ working lives.