An Amah tip is the leading edge of the all-aluminum, trimaran-type vessel’s outrigger, or amah, and is more than seven feet across and weighs 850Ibs.
The LCS 6 is currently being built for the US Navy at Austal’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard.
The one-piece design resulted from collaboration between Austal and Alcoa’s Technical Center (ATC), near Pittsburgh.
ATC provided the design and development, Alcoa Global Rolled Products’ mill in Davenport, Iowa, supplied the substrate and Alcoa Transportation Products (ATP) in Farmington Hills, Michigan, oversaw the final milling.
Alcoa worked with the American Bureau of Shipbuilding (ABS) to ensure both the thick plate produced at Davenport and the machining process completed by ATP met the standards of the ABS, resulting in full certification for use on the LCS.
A second set of similar Amah tips will be delivered to Austal for the future Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) in May 2012.