By Troy Turner
The Navy has awarded Alabama Shipyard LLC, based in Mobile, a potential $26 million contract to perform post-shakedown work on its new replenishment oiler, the USNS Harvey Milk.
The ship’s addition to the fleet and specifically the oiler program will come at a necessary time, military and government officials have said as they express concern about the availability of logistical ships in meeting the Navy’s growing needs. Oilers provide fuel to the Navy’s surface combatant ships at sea.
Attention to the program was highlighted in recent weeks after the oiler USNS Big Horn became unavailable, having likely grounded or hit an object underwater while operating in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman. The Big Horn was on deployment in the Gulf/Middle East region to support the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, and military leadership was forced to move quickly to find its replacement.
Alabama Shipyard was awarded a $24,527,535 firm-fixed-price contract to perform the Post-Shakedown Availability on Military Sealift Command’s newest oiler.
The contract includes a base period and five unexercised options for additional work and time, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to almost $26 million.
Work will be performed in Mobile, beginning Jan. 9, 2025, and is expected to be completed by June 22, 2025.
Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting agency.
USNS Harvey Milk is the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after an openly gay person. It arrived in San Francisco on March 28 for a short port visit and hosted elected officials, community leaders, and friends and family of Navy veteran and LGBTQ activist Harvey Milk for an event commemorating the ship’s namesake.
Milk also was one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978. He was assassinated in City Hall 10 months into his term, along with Mayor George Moscone.
Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 for his activism.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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