Arthur McMiler
Austal USA is preparing for delivery the first towing, salvage and rescue ship, or T-ATS, it built under the U.S. Navy’s Navajo-class shipbuilding program. In a christening ceremony, the T-ATS 11 vessel was named as the future USNS Billy Frank Jr. to honor its namesake, a Nisqually Indian and Marine Corps veteran in the Korean War, according to an Austal statement Saturday.
The steel ship is one of two T-ATS vessels Austal is building in its Mobile, Alabama, shipyard under a $144.6 million initial award in late September 2021 that was followed by a separate $156.2 million contract for an additional two ships in July 2022. Exercising contract options again, the Navy initiated a fifth T-ATS order with Austal for $71.8 million in June 2023.
Versatile Ship Capabilities
T-ATS vessels are designed with a multi-mission common hull platform featuring 6,000-square-foot decks for onboard systems. The decks’ large, unobstructed space allows the loading of varied stand-alone and interchangeable equipment systems. Besides uses for towing, salvage, search and rescue, the ships’ capabilities also include support for modular payloads with hotel accommodation features.
Dave Growden, Austal USA vice president of surface programs, conveyed the company’s pride and excitement in christening the first steel T-ATS ship in the presence of Native American tribesmen and Billy Frank Jr.’s close relatives. “I am proud to represent our talented workforce in celebrating this milestone accomplishment, and we look forward to completing T-ATS 11 and delivering her to the fleet,” added the Austal executive.
Track Record of T-ATS 11 Namesake
Frank Jr.’s daughter-in-law, Peggen Frank, executive director of the nonprofit education and advocacy group Salmon Defense, christened the T-ATS 11 vessel with the traditional breaking of a wine bottle on the ship’s bow.
After his military career, the vessel’s namesake chaired the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for nearly 30 years and was conferred various honors, such as the Common Cause Award for Human Rights Efforts, the Washington State Environmental Excellence Award and the posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Barack Obama in 2015.
