Shipbuilder Austal USA has started the construction of USNS Solomon Atkinson (T-ATS 12), the US Navy’s seventh towing, salvage and rescue ship.
As informed, the keel-laying ceremony was performed on April 16, 2025, at the company’s Mobile, Alabama, ship manufacturing facility.
The keel laying symbolically recognizes the ceremonial beginning of the construction of a ship. This ship milestone is being recognized just over two weeks after Austal USA celebrated the christening of the future USNS Billy Frank Jr. (T-ATS 11).
“This ceremony is evidence of the hard work and dedication put forth by Austal USA and our Navy and supplier partners to keep the T-ATS program steadily moving forward,” said Dave Growden , vice president of new construction.
The new T-ATS got its name after Solomon Atkinson, born in 1930 in Metlakatla, Alaska, who worked as a commercial fisherman before enlisting in the US Navy in 1952. A year later, Atkinson volunteered for the underwater demolition teams and became a frogman, the precursor to present day SEALs. In 1962, Atkinson became one of the first Navy SEALs and was a plank owner for SEAL Team 1.
As a SEAL, he deployed to Korea and completed three combat tours in Vietnam. His Vietnam service-related awards include a Bronze Star, a Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” and a Purple Heart. Atkinson also had the distinction of training numerous astronauts, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
T-ATS 12 will provide ocean-going towing, salvage and rescue capabilities to support fleet operations. The unit will be a multi-mission common hull platform capable of towing US Navy ships and will have 6,000 square feet of deck space for embarked systems.
The large, unobstructed deck allows for the embarkation of a variety of stand-alone and interchangeable systems. The T-ATS platform will combine the capabilities of the retiring rescue and salvage ship (T-ARS 50) and fleet ocean tug (T-ATF 166) platforms.