NASSCO gets Navy order for five more dry cargo ammunition ships

NASSCO gets Navy order for five more dry cargo ammunition ships    General Dynamics NASSCO said Thursday it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Navy for options to build up to five additional T-AKE dry cargo ammunition ships.
   Contracts for the ships, valued at about $2.5 billion if all options are exercised, are expected to be awarded over the next four years. Including the nine ships previously under contract, this agreement means the San Diego shipyard would build a total of 14 T-AKE ships for the Navy.
   Since October 2001, NASSCO has received contracts to build nine T-AKE ships and has delivered the first three ships of the class, with the fourth scheduled to be delivered in November. Under the new agreement, NASSCO would deliver the 14th ship in the fourth quarter of 2014.
   The ships can deliver more than 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to combat ships at sea. T-AKE ships are replacing single-mission ships that are reaching the end of their service lives.