Giant military catamaran docked in St. Petersburg

338-foot long, $185 million military catamaran docked in St. Petersburg

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Published On: Feb 12 2013 08:52:55 AM EST
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -

A 338-foot long catamaran is docked at the Port of St. Petersburg, and it's dwarfing all other ships in the city.

The ship is the Navy's first joint high speed vessel and it made its maiden voyage to St. Petersburg. It's scheduled to leave for operational testing in Virginia on Tuesday. The ship has been docked in the Florida city since Sunday so top military brass from U.S. Central Command in Tampa can visit.

The USNS Spearhead is staffed by 22 civil service mariners. It is capable of transporting 600 tons of military troops, supplies, vehicles and equipment at an average speed of 35 knots or 40 mph, and can cruise and dock in shallow waterways.

The ship was built in Mobile, Ala. It cost about $185 million to build.

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