USNS City Of Bismarck (T-EPF 9)

Expeditionary Fast Transport

The Expeditionary Fast Transport USNS City of Bismarck (T-EPF 9)  is a high-speed, shallow-draft ship capable of intra-theater personnel and cargo lift for the armed services.

Each T-EPF has a reconfigurable 20,000 square-foot mission bay that can quickly adapt to provide high-speed, agile lift capability to deliver operationally ready units to small, austere ports and flexibly support a wide range of missions including humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, theater security cooperation, maritime domain awareness and noncombatant evacuations. The design features a flight deck capable of landing a CH-53 helicopter, a stern ramp for vehicle access to the mission deck, and seating for 312 passengers. Able to reach speeds of more than 35 knots, they enable the rapid transit and deployment of conventional and special forces, equipment and supplies in support of maneuver and sustainment operations.

The vessel is crewed by civilian mariners while military personnel embark as required by mission sponsors. Eleven of the planned 12 EPFs have been delivered to MSC.

CHARACTERISTICS

Length: 338 ft
Beam: 93.5 ft
Displacement: 2,400 tons
Speed: 35 knots
Civilian: 22

Government-owned