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Trablous - Lebanese Coastal Security Craft LCSC-42
RiverHawk Fast Sea Frames (RHFSF)
Advanced Multimission Platform

RiverHawk’s AMP 145 is configurable for a diverse range of mission requirements - hence the “Advanced Multimission Platform” designation. Its FRP composite construction is strong and light, traits further enhanced by the durability and high speed efficiency provided by twin HT1000 waterjets. The AMP145 can patrol for 5-7 days in conditions up to seastate 4 with a compliment of 6-22 crew onboard.

This first-of-class offshore patrol vessel incorporates an array of electronic systems for all aspects of vessel function and mission requirements. The twin HT1000 waterjets, MTU engines and ZF gearboxes are controlled through HamiltonJet’s MECS electonic control system which incorporates a Hand Held Remote control unit. The systems also links to the vessel’s Autopilot and Voyage Data Recorder. At full power the HT1000 waterjets are capable of pumping over 9.5 tonnes of water (9.3m3) per second, providing rapid acceleration as well as maintaining power through tight high-speed turns.

Formally referred to as the “Lebanese Coastal Security Craft” or “LCSC 42,” the vessel is the first of a new class of Advanced Multi-mission Platforms (AMPs) built by the Florida-based US Shipbuilder, RiverHawk Fast Sea Frames (RHFSF). Led by LAF General Elias Bwari, a team of eight senior and mid-grade officers arrived in Tampa 12 August 2012 for initial assessment and familiarization of what will be, by any measure, the most technologically advanced and capable ship in the LAF Navy’s fleet. Launched in January 2012, the LCSC 42 – provisionally named “Trablous” pending formal commissioning in Lebanon – was contracted 19 months earlier by the U S Department of the Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to Maritime Security Strategies (MSS) of Tampa, Florida. RHFSF produced and outfitted the ship based on RiverHawk’s proprietary ship design.

The Lebanese team was comprised of key technical ratings necessary to man the ship, including a senior Warrant Officer Machinist, and other non-commissioned officers from electrical, mechanical, electronics, and navigation ratings. The pre-commissioning Commanding Officer and Executive Officer were also part of the Lebanese team. The schedule included a series of technical briefings and discussions, with extensive ‘hands-on’ involvement with system and equipment light-off and operation.

Also on-board Trablous for the underway performance demonstration were NAVSEA (PMS 325) and Supervisor of Shipbuilding (Gulf Coast) representatives, along with Royal Canadian Navy Commodore Gilles Couturier (Director of the Building Partner Capacity Directorate at U S CENTCOM) and US CENTCOM’s Coast Guard Security Assistance Officer, Commander Ben Berg.

Since its January 2013, attended by various US Government officials and recently retired Chief of the LAF Navy RADM Nazih Baroudi, the ship has undergone a series of rigorous, comprehensive tests and trials. The underway demonstration was very similar to the Acceptance Trials agenda that RiverHawk had completed for NAVSEA two weeks earlier. From construction through tests and trials, compliance with design, engineering, materials and other technical standards was ensured under the supervision of key US Technical Authorities including NAVSEA, the Supervisor of Shipbuilding , and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). The vessel was designed and built to meet ABS international classification standards for High Speed Coastal Naval Craft.

Contracted under the US Government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, this ship represents an important step in improving Lebanon’s ability to monitor and patrol its territorial waters and to contribute to international maritime security efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean. The sale supports broader US security assistance objectives to secure Lebanon’s borders and to foster a stable and independent Lebanon.

Specific contracting of the shipment and delivery dates was pending final acceptance and transfer of the vessel to the US Government, but individuals close to the project expected the LCSC 42 to be shipped with an October delivery to an LAF facility not yet specified. There is no confirmation available as yet from LAF sources regarding armament that might be eventually added to Trablous, but according to RiverHawk officials, the vessel is designed to accommodate a wide-range of post-delivery capabilities.

The launching and subsequent delivery of this new of fast patrol vessel represents a major step forward in the U.S. patrol boat industry by demonstrating the rapid construction and delivery of vessels of this type.

“We are very proud of the expert work force we have brought together here in Tampa. The quality of workmanship is evident in every weld and lamination,” stated RiverHawk CEO Mark Hornsby. “A lot of very skilled and committed professionals are behind this success, from concept, to design, and throughout the construction and – particularly – these last several months of uncompromising testing,”

Rear Admiral (US Navy, ret) Robert Cox, MSS’s General Managing Partner, remarked that the MSS/RiverHawk Team was honored by the opportunity to play a role to support US, Lebanese, and international security objectives in the Eastern Med and the CENTCOM AOR. “This particular design and the engineering and electronic systems we have incorporated should be ideal for the missions and tasks that Lebanon and its international partners rely on the Lebanese Navy to execute in that region,” Cox also remarked.

RiverHawk is also under contract to NAVSEA to deliver two 60-meter command and Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs). The OSVs are have been built by RiverHawk in a partner facility in Houma, Louisiana, on a design and production schedule nearly concurrent to the schedule for the LCSC 42. “As anyone associated with shipbuilding will tell you, building two first-of-class ships -- in different locations at the same time – is truly an extraordinary management challenge,” Hornsby commented. The first of RiverHawk’s two OSVs was delivered to the US Government in July of this year. OSV number two is scheduled for trials beginning this week. Company officials confirm that both ships are on track for scheduled shipment to Iraq early this fall.

With regard to Trablous, Admiral Cox stated that MSS teamed with RiverHawk Fast Sea Frames because of the advanced design and construction processes and materials it offered in its basic design. “MSS and RiverHawk teamed up to provide a high quality, cost-effective fast patrol boat. The primary product line – the ‘AMP’ – is underway today as the LCSC 42. It incorporates new designs and features that deliver significant cost and performance improvements over other ships similar in size and capabilities. A key attribute for any Navy or Coast Guard is that the AMP is designed from the keel up to be rapidly and affordably configured depending on diverse customer mission requirements.”

The basic hull design for the AMP series has been improved to take advantage of performance and cost benefits created by advances in technologies, materials and processes. The composite construction of Trablous makes it extremely rugged, but also very light, and its strength eliminates much of the standard stiffeners and supporting structures that add so much weight to conventional ships. Weight reduction translates directly into greater speed, increased maneuverability and lower fuel consumption (lower cost and better performance). The epoxy resin hull is also easy and inexpensive to repair and maintain.

The Lebanese Navy’s AMP incorporates ITAR compliant state-of-the-shelf controls and crew-aiding automation using onboard sensing of watercraft systems such as engines, tanks, environmental sensors, navigational, and weapon's status. It incorporates a non-militarized, passive Integrated Bridge System (IBS) designed according to the ABS-NIBS Guide for Bridge Design and Navigational Equipment/Systems as well as ABS HSNC and SOLAS classification. The IBS, which includes four wide-screen multifunction workstations for navigation and surveillance, conning and other operational, command and control functions, was provided and commissioned by Raytheon Anschutz GmbH, a subsidiary of the Raytheon Company (USA).

In addition to the navigation systems, the Integrated Bridge System incorporates the ship’s automation system, a Closed Circuit Television System, and a Forward-Looking (FLIR) thermal imaging camera. Surface search X and S-band radars programmed to Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA) software, a full package of navigation sensors, data management software, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) A3 and all other electronic and safety equipment complete the IBS and Command and Surveillance package on Trablous. Main propulsion is provided by two MTU 20V 4000m93L diesel engines coupled to HamiltonJet HT-1000 water jet propulsers, a proven drive train that maximizes power to weight.