{"id":26186,"date":"2019-01-16T22:05:50","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T22:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/01\/16\/facing-a-sealift-capacity-collapse-the-navy-hones-in-on-a-strategy-for-new-auxiliary-ships\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:13:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:13:17","slug":"facing-a-sealift-capacity-collapse-the-navy-hones-in-on-a-strategy-for-new-auxiliary-ships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2019\/01\/16\/facing-a-sealift-capacity-collapse-the-navy-hones-in-on-a-strategy-for-new-auxiliary-ships\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing a sealift capacity collapse, the Navy seeks strategy for new auxiliary ships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ARLINGTON, Va. \u2014 The U.S. Navy is moving toward settling on an approach for recapitalizing the nation\u2019s aged sealift fleet<\/a>, moving away from a single common hull for its missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sealift fleet \u2014 which is facing the prospect of an imminent collapse <\/a>in capacity due to the ships either reaching or exceeding their hull life, according to the U.S. Army \u2014 is what the U.S. would use to transport up to 90 percent of Army and Marine Corps gear in the event of a major conflict overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recapitalization program, known as the Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-Mission Platform, was envisioned as a way to improve the country\u2019s surge sealift force and replace other auxiliary ships such as hospital ships and submarine tenders with a common hull form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But following studies last year, the Navy found one hull wouldn\u2019t cover all the disparate functions the Navy wants to fulfill with the platform. Now the service thinks it has a better answer: two platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\t