General Dynamics NASSCO, a unit of General Dynamics, announced Monday it had been awarded $1.7 billion for a multi-ship contract with the U.S. Navy.
The contract is for construction of T-AO 215 and T-AO 216, and will be part of the companies 20-ship contract with the Navy. Already the company has delivered four ships. Other ships in the contract include construction of up to eight additional John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oilers (T-AO 214 through 221).
“The T-AO program holds significant importance to the men and women of NASSCO and is one we take great pride in – it’s the longest running Navy production series in NASSCO history,” Dave Carver, president of General Dynamics NASSCO, said. “The timely funding for these two ships will act to stabilize the workforce by sustaining an important backlog and prevent future layoffs. Our entire NASSCO team is honored to continue to support the critical national security mission of the U.S. Navy.”
NASSCO was awarded a contract to design and build the first six ships in the next generation of fleet oilers in 2016. Six years later, in 2022, that contract was modified to add three more oilers. And in 2024, NASSCO was awarded a contract for an additional eight ship contract to build T-AOs 10-17.
Designed to transfer fuel to U.S. Navy ships operating at sea, the 742-foot oilers have a full load displacement of 49,850 tons and the capacity to carry 162,000 barrels of oil, as well as significant amounts of dry cargo. The oilers are capable of traveling at speeds of us to 20 knots, officials said.
In addition to the four already delivered, NASSCO currently has five T-AOs under construction in its shipyard, the company said.