The U.S. Military Sealift Command’s expeditionary fast transport ship, USNS Trenton (EPF 5) departed the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story on December 20 to begin its first operational deployment.
The Spearhead-class vessel, built by Austal in Alabama, was launched in September 2014 and commissioned on April 13, 2015.
Trenton was supposed to field the U.S. Navy’s revolutionary electromagnetic railgun for at-sea testing in the summer of 2016. This did not happen as officials revealed that the demonstration would likely not take place before 2017.
The ship will be forward deployed to U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Command’s area of operation, supporting the U.S. 6th Fleet.
“We are very excited about supporting the team down-range and we are ready to go,” said the Trenton’s military detachment officer-in-charge, Lt. Cmdr. Johnny Quilenderino .
“The deployment means a lot to us because this will be the first time the ship is able to perform operational missions and contribute to our military efforts,” said USNS Trenton’s Master, Capt. Susan Orsini . “We participated in lots of exercises and training evolutions in preparation for this deployment. We worked very hard to ensure we are prepared for this deployment.”
USNS Trenton is the fifth of 12 expeditionary fast transport ships planned for the Military Sealift Command.
“The Trenton is going to be operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea, supporting U.S. forces in any way we can,” said Orsini. “The ship is going to primarily perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions on this deployment.”
Expeditionary fast transport ships are non-combatant transport ships which are capable of transporting 600 short tons for 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots. Crewed by nearly 80 U.S. Navy sailors and civil service mariners, these ships are designed to operate in austere ports and waterways.