The first Joint High-Speed Vessel, USNS Spearhead, is attracting high-level attention for its potential. 1.Spearhead, a catamaran, can carry 312 passengers and 600 tons of cargo at high speeds. 2. The highly automated ship is operated by a crew of only 22 mariners. 3. The versatile vessel is primed for mission creep. There is a new ship on the waterfront at Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek, Va. USNS Spearhead, delivered to Military Sealift Command (MSC) in December, is the lead ship of a class of 10 Joint High-Speed Vessels (JHSVs) being built for the fleet by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. Spearhead is operated by a crew of 22 civil service mariners, of which four are on watch when underway The first four JHSVs will be manned by civil service mariners. The last six will be manned by merchant mariners.
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