General Dynamics NASSCO has started construction on the fifth dry cargo-ammunition ship in the U.S. Navy's T-AKE program. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in the first quarter of 2008.

NASSCO has been awarded contracts to build nine T-AKE ships. Two additional ships are expected to be ordered by the Navy over the next two years for a total class of 11 ships. The first ship of the class, USNS Lewis and Clark, was delivered to the Navy on June 20. The second ship, USNS Sacagawea, was launched on June 24 and is scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2007. The third ship, USNS Alan Shepard, is scheduled to be launched on Dec. 5, 2006, and delivered in the summer of 2007. The T-AKE ships are 689 feet in length, are 106 feet across their beam, with a design draft of 30 feet and a displacement of 41,000 metric tons. NASSCO has incorporated international marine technologies and commercial ship-design features into the vessels, including an integrated electric-drive propulsion system, to minimize operating costs over their projected 40-year service life.

NASSCO employs more than 4,000 people and is the only major ship construction yard on the West Coast of the United States. In addition to the T-AKE ships, NASSCO is also completing the construction of its fourth double-hulled oil tanker for BP Oil Shipping Company of Alaska.