Maneuver Support Vessel (Light)
United States Army watercraft for carrying vehicles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) or MSV(L) is the US Army's replacement for the Vietnam-era Landing Craft Mechanized 8 (LCM-8 or “Mike Boat”) that had been in service since 1959.
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Characteristics
The MSV(L) will be able to carry either one M1A2 Abrams tank, two Stryker armored vehicles with slat armor, or four Joint Light Tactical Vehicles with trailers.[2]
Contract
In September 2017, the U.S. Army Contracting Command entered into a contract with Vigor Industrial to produce the MSV(L) at its facility in Vancouver, Washington. It is a firm fix-price contract for US$979,794,011 with an estimated completion date in 2027.[3]
It was initially planned that a prototype would be available in FY2019, then four in FY21 and FY22. Assuming full production is authorized, 32 will be built between FY23–27, for a total purchase of 36 MSV(L).[2] The first MSV(L) prototype was launched in October 2022 at Vigor Industrial's marine fabrication facility in Vancouver.[4]
Vigor began low-rate initial production work in June 2024. 180 skilled workers were designated to work on this program for five years.[5]
Ships in class
| Name | Hull no. | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Home Port | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSG Elroy F. Wells | 17 September 2019 | October 2022 | Fitting Out | |||
| Craney Island | MSV(L)-02 | Fitting Out |
