Empire State VII

Empire State VII is a training ship owned by the United States Maritime Administration and operated by SUNY Maritime College. It is the first vessel in the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) class and is replacing the 1961-built Empire State VI. The new training ship will be the seventh vessel to carry the name Empire State for the SUNY Maritime College[5] but its first purpose-built new build. The previous training ships had been converted cargo or military vessels.[6]

History
United States
Name	TS Empire State VII
Owner	U.S. Maritime Administration
Operator	SUNY Maritime College
Ordered	April 2020
Builder	Philly Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cost	US$315M
Yard number	33[1]
Laid down	10 December 2021[2]
Launched	24 September 2022[3]
Completed	End of June 2023
Acquired	September 18 2023
Homeport	Fort Schuyler, The Bronx, New York City, New York
Identification	IMO number: 9910313[1]
Status	completed
General characteristics
Class and type	NSMV, Training Ship/Troopship
Length	160.05 m (525.1 ft)
Beam	27 m (89 ft)
Height	38.4 m (126 ft)
Draft	6.5 m (21 ft)
Depth	16.8 m (55 ft)
Decks	10 Decks (6 above main deck, 3 below main deck)
Ramps	RoRo
Installed power	16,800 kW (Electrical), 9,000 KW (Propulsion)
Propulsion	4 x Wabtec 16V250 Gensets,[4] single screw
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	700 (600 cadets, 100 officers, staff crew (training); 1000 (disaster relief)
Aviation facilities	helipad

The preliminary and basic NSMV design was developed by the Herbert Engineering Corp. of Alameda, California,[7] and the rest of the design was completed by DSEC headquartered in Busan, Korea. While primarily a training ship the NSMV class is also to be equipped for disaster relief: a Roll-on/Roll-off side ramp, container space and crane, and a helipad.[8] Though a helicopter cannot actually land on the helipad.

The contract for the first two NSMV vessels was signed with Philly Shipyard (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) in April 2020 with anticipated delivery in Spring of 2023.[9] Steel cutting for the first vessel began in December 2020.[10] Its keel was laid on 10 December 2021[2] and launched on 24 September 2022.[3]