Recently, the U.S. Navy announced it has placed a $6.75 billion order with San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO for up to eight John Lewis Class (TAO-205) Fleet Replenishment Oilers. The ships are scheduled for delivery through January 2035.
The Navy, which has been looking for ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency across its shipbuilding and repair programs, said it expects the “block buy” approach will unlock savings of $491 million compared to the total anticipated costs of carrying out the build program through annual contracts.
This award includes a Shipbuilding Capability Preservation Agreement with NASSCO that broadens and strengthens the shipbuilding industrial base by providing an incentive for a shipbuilder to obtain new private sector work, thereby reducing the Navy’s cost of doing business. This strengthening of the industrial base is aligned with the Secretary of the Navy’s Maritime Statecraft initiative.
Operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC), T-AO Fleet Replenishment Oilers serve as the Navy’s primary fuel pipeline from resupply ports to station ships, providing replenishment of bulk petroleum product, dry stores/packaged cargo, fleet freight, mail and personnel to combatants and support forces at sea. The 742-feet vessels have a full load displacement of 49,850 tons, capacity to carry 162,000 barrels of oil and significant amounts of dry cargo, as well as providing aviation capability while traveling at speeds up to 20 knots.
In 2016, the Navy awarded NASSCO with a contract to design and build the first six ships in the John Lewis-class. In 2022, that contract was modified to add an additional three oilers (T-AO 211 – 213).
The first ship, USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205), was delivered to the U.S. Navy in July 2022. The USNS Sojourner Truth (T-AO 210) and the USNS Thurgood Marshall (T-AO 211) are currently under construction, while the USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209) will be christened and launched on September 21, 2024. Start of construction for the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg (T-AO 212) will be in October 2024.
“This T-AO block buy delivers on the Department of Navy’s commitment to get more players on the field while growing near-term capability and capacity,” said Nickolas H. Guertin, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN RD&A). “This multi-billion dollar award reflects innovation to build and sustain our maritime dominance and allows for critical investment and sustainment of our shipbuilding industrial base.”
“This block buy contract will provide capability for our fleet while providing cost savings to the Navy and stability for the shipbuilding industrial base,” said John Lighthammer, program manager, Auxiliary and Special Mission Shipbuilding Program Office, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The partnership between the Navy and NASSCO is important and we rely on the shipbuilding workforce at NASSCO and their many vendors and suppliers to construct and deliver these ships.”