Vigor Begins Building the US Army's New Landing Craft

Pacific Northwest shipbuilder Vigor on Tuesday announced it has begun low rate initial production (LRIP) on the Maneuver Support Vehicle (Light) (MSV(L)) vessel at its facility in Vancouver, Wash.

The new generation 117-foot U.S. Army landing craft, which replaces the Vietnam-era Landing Craft Mechanized 8 (LCM-8), is designed to support Army Mariners and their payload in even the most difficult environments due to its state-of-the-art maneuverability and stability.

Vigor was originally awarded the contract in 2017 and secured the Vancouver, Wash. facility to complete the prototype, multiple vessels under low rate production and several more over 10 years.

The prototype vessel, SSG Elroy F. Wells, was completed and launched in 2022. After undergoing sea trials throughout 2023, Vigor and the Army completed the DD 250 handoff of the prototype vessel in February and began planning for production of future vessels. 

Vigor now commences work on the next phase of the new $1 billion contract, and the shipbuilder said more than 180 skilled workers are expected to support the project over the next five years.

“Beginning this work represents a milestone for the Army, for Vigor and for our employees,” said Jayson Robinson, Vigor’s Vice President of Fabrication, a Titan Company. “It is a credit to the great work of our team over the last several years and the partnership with the Army to have the opportunity to take what we have learned from the prototype and build the next generation of landing craft. Our employees are incredibly proud to support our national defense and our customer’s critical mission.”