US Navy to Christen Fifth Joint High Speed Vessel

The US Navy will christen the future USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) Jan. 10 during a ceremony in Mobile, Alabama.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Virginia Kamsky, chair and chief executive of Kamsky Associates, Inc., will serve as the ship’s sponsor.

JHSV 5 will be the fourth naval vessel to bear the name Trenton. The first ship was built following the Civil War and was named to honor George Washington’s Revolutionary War victory on the banks of the Delaware River. Since then, a ship bearing the name Trenton has served during every vital Navy mission until 2007 when the last ship was decommissioned.

The 338 foot-long aluminum catamaran is under construction at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. JHSVs are ideal for fast, intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles, supplies and equipment. These ships are capable of transporting 600 short tons 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots with berthing space for up to 104 personnel and airline-style seating for up to 312.

Upon delivery to the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC), Trenton will be designated as a United States Naval Ship (USNS), and will have a core crew of 22 civilian mariners with military mission personnel embarking as necessary.

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Press release, Image: Austal