Austal USA Awarded $10.8 Million LCS 24 Emergency Repair Contract

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Austal USA has been awarded a $10.8 million emergency dry dock repair contract by the U.S. Navy to carry out repairs on the littoral combat ship USS Oakland (LCS 24) at the San Diego ship repair base. The project will be executed using Austal USA's new floating dry dock, which completed certification and entered operation on September 14, marking the first publicly announced repair contract for the dock after receiving full certification.

The core work of this contract is the replacement of the LCS-24 main service diesel generator. The related operations involve critical below-waterline areas and require the ship to enter the dry dock for equipment removal, installation, and associated repairs. Austal USA will complete this emergency repair at the San Diego base, keeping the ship near its homeport and coordinating the project with the U.S. Navy's San Diego repair team.

The new floating dry dock has a lifting capacity of 9,000 light tons, an overall length of 531 feet (162 meters), a width of 154 feet (47 meters), a wing wall width of 13.12 feet (4 meters), and a maximum draft of 36 feet (11 meters). The dock's associated cranes have a combined lifting capacity of 16 tons. It is designed primarily for small surface combatants and ships of similar size, and can undertake complete dry dock repair tasks lasting up to approximately one year.

Prior to certification of the floating dock, Austal USA completed related supporting works at the San Diego repair base. R.E. Staite Engineering undertook dredging, offshore, and shoreline construction, while Chula Vista Electric was responsible for shore power installation; Austal USA also worked with the U.S. Navy Southwest Regional Maintenance Center and Heger Dry Dock to complete certification preparations. The dock has now become a core facility for Austal USA's West Coast repair and service operations.

Austal USA previously primarily carried out repair and sustainment services for littoral combat ships and other vessels in San Diego. With the addition of the 9,000-light-ton dry dock, its repair scope can expand from pier-side operations to underwater structures, power equipment, and long-term repair projects requiring the hull to be removed from the water. This LCS-24 contract will directly use this newly added capability to carry out the main service diesel generator replacement.