U.S. Navy Names New Spearhead-Class Transport Ship USNS Lansing in Honor of Michigan’s Capital City

A future U.S. Navy Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport (EPF) ship will be named USNS LansingNavy Secretary Carlos Del Toro confirmed on Monday, July 22. The EPF will be the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after Michigan’s capital city, Lansing.

After completion the future is Lansing will have a length of 337 feet (103 meters), a beam of 93.5 feet (28.5 meters) and a draft of 12.5 feet (3.83 meters). The ship will also be capable of operating in shallow waters and performing a wide range of activities, including the high-speed transport of troops, military vehicles such as battle tanks and equipment with a gross weight of 544 tons up to 1,200 nautical miles.

Power is provided by four MTU 20V8000 M71L diesel engines connected to ZF 60000NR2H gearboxes. This configuration provides a maximum speed of 43 knots, although operational speeds at full load will typically not exceed 35 knots.

The EPF will have a core crew of 21, with aircraft seats for more than 312 embarked troops and permanent berths for 146. The ship will also be equipped with four mountings for Browning M2 12.7mm machine guns to provide limited self-defense capability against minor surface and air threats.

The future Lansing is built by Austal USA at its factory in Mobile, Alabama.