U.S. buys more high-speed vessels

Two virtually unused high-speed ferries once planned for service in the Hawaiian Islands have been acquired by the U.S. government at apparently bargain-basement prices.

The two ships, named Alakai and Huakai, belonged to the now-defunct Hawaiian Superferries project once headed by Reagan-era Navy Secretary John Lehman.

The ships are the largest commercial vessels built by Austal USA which is one of two competitors bidding for the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program.

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