Israeli Navy Receives The INS Nahshon Landing Craft From The US
The Israeli Navy has received the first of two landing craft built by the American shipbuilding firm Bollinger. The delivery and flag hoisting ceremony for the landing craft INS Nahshon took place at the company’s Pascagoula shipyard in Mississippi. The ceremony was attended by Haifa Naval Base Commander RDML Tal Politis, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Defense’s procurement team.
The delivery of the INS Nahshon landing craft to the Israeli Navy, described as a “mighty warship” by Haifa Naval Base Commander Rear Admiral Tal Politis, is part of a series of force-building initiatives for the IDF in the United States. The joint construction of the INS Nahshon landing craft platform began roughly 4 years ago, funded by the US under the FMF (Foreign Military Financing) program. In 2022, a contract was signed between the Israeli Ministry of Defense procurement team in New York and VT Halter Marine, and the shipyard undertook the project to provide two landing craft to the Israeli Navy. Bollinger Shipyards later purchased VT Halter Marine. The two ships built as part of the project were launched in February 2023.
INS Nahshon will now undergo final preparations in a few months, including crew training and operational testing, before arriving in Israel in the coming months. The delivery of the project’s second landing craft is also scheduled for the following months.
These landing craft, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), will represent the foundation of the Israeli Navy’s adaptation to a modern, multi-zone battlefield. The landing craft will, among other things, function as a logistical axis for moving equipment and troops from near and far. Furthermore, the landing craft will allow the Israeli Navy, the Technological and Logistics Directorate (J4), and other IDF branches to strengthen their cooperation in order to strengthen joint operational activity and put the multi-branch combat effort into action in routine and contingency situations.
These Israeli landing craft, which are similar in design to the US military’s General Frank S. Besson type logistics support vessels (LSV), have a length of approximately 95 meters, a width of approximately 20 meters, and a displacement of more than 2500 tons. According to the IDF, the ships will be commanded by an Israeli officer of the rank of Lieutenant Commander and crewed by dozens of naval combat personnel, with a quarter of them being women.