Austal USA press release
Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., celebrated the keel laying of the future USNS Cody (EPF 14) at our ship manufacturing facility today. Cody is a Spearhead class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF), one of 15 that the Navy has contracted Austal to build. The ship is the first U.S. Navy ship named for the city of Cody in Wyoming.
A keel-laying ceremony is the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction. In Austal USA, the keel laying symbolically recognizes module erection in the final assembly and the ceremonial beginning of a ship.
The ship’s sponsor is Avril Spencer, founder and Executive Director of Launch gURLs, a nonprofit that aims to close the gender gap in economic opportunities through entrepreneurship programming for adolescent girls globally. In honor of the U.S. Navy ship keel-laying tradition, Ms. Spencer welded her initials onto a metal plate that will be installed in the ship. She was assisted by Austal USA A-class welder, Amy Cunningham.
