NASSCO Shipyard, Under New Navy Contract, to Continue Producing Lewis-Class Oil Tankers

San Diego-based General Dynamics NASSCO on Friday received a contract from the U.S. Navy for construction of up to eight additional John Lewis-class oil tankers.

The 10th ship through NASSCO, the first under Friday’s contract, has been awarded for $780 million.

The block-buy contract with the subsidiary of General Dynamics could total $6.7 billion if the option to construct all eight fleet replenishment oilers is exercised, along with incentives and certain contract options.

“We are pleased to continue building these ships, with 17 of the Navy’s 20-ship program of record now on contract,” said Dave Carver, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. He added that the program will become “the longest Navy production series in NASSCO history.”

General Dynamics NASSCO specializes in design and construction of Navy and commercial ships while also providing repair services for Navy, with four shipyards in San Diego, along with those in Florida, Virginia and Washington.

According to the Navy, by using the block-buy approach, it expects to save $491 million over annual contracts on the Lewis-class tankers.

The block buy “delivers on the Department of the Navy’s commitment to get more players on the field while growing near-term capability and capacity,” said Nickolas H. Guertin, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition.

NASSCO received the contract from the Navy to design and build the first six ships in the new generation of fleet oilers in 2016. That contract was modified in 2022 to add an additional three vessels.

The ships are 742 feet long, have a load displacement of 49,850 tons and the capacity to hold 162,000 barrels of oil while transferring fuel to Navy ships.

John Lighthammer, program manager at the Auxiliary and Special Mission Shipbuilding Program Office, said “Tte partnership between the Navy and NASSCO is important and we rely on the shipbuilding workforce at NASSCO and their many vendors and suppliers to construct and deliver these ships.”

The first ship in the class, USNS John Lewis, named after the late civil rights leader and Congressman, was delivered to the U.S. Navy in July 2022.

The USNS Sojourner Truth and the USNS Thurgood Marshall are under construction, while the USNS Lucy Stone will be christened and launched on Sept. 21. Work on the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg will begin in October.