For nearly thirty years Silver Ships has manufactured aluminum workboats for military use, making each vessel capable of handling the most challenging of missions. Currently, Silver Ships is the leading manufacturer of High Speed Maneuverable Surface Targets (HSMST) for the U.S. Navy’s Seaborne Targets program and has built more than 600 vessels for the U.S. military.  Our Ambar series RHIB vessels are among the most common boats used for military missions. This series includes the HSMSTs that are in operation for the U.S. Navy. HSMSTs are primarily used for live-fire ordnance training for operational ship and aviation forces.

In the fall of 2018, Silver Ships concluded a 5-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for the Navy building HSMSTs, which consisted of constructing more than 200 of the vessels. Recently, in April 2019, Silver Ships was awarded a new $11 million GSA contract to build additional HSMST vessels. The Navy’s continuous choice to partner with Silver Ships stands as a testament to the durability and reliability of each vessel and the company recently received the following feedback on the HSMST Program:       

“To the Silver Ships HSMST Team:

The challenges of the Coronavirus lockdown have reminded us to be especially thankful for our extended team members and the outstanding work that you do every day. The Navy has relied on Silver Ships for HSMSTs and other quality boats for two or more decades and your contributions to the readiness of our forces has never been more important. Programs for new weapon systems, new ship classes, and new aircraft are demanding ever-increasing numbers of HSMSTs for test events. Threats faced daily around the world require Strike Groups and their ship crews to be highly proficient in executing tactics and operating those weapon systems. Ship crews and aircraft pilots are able to protect our forces because the installed weapon systems were thoroughly tested using HSMSTs and the operators have been properly trained using HSMSTs.

HSMSTs have become the workhorse of our Seaborne Targets portfolio because your product has proven reliability and versatility. HSMSTs built by Silver Ships are having immediate impacts on the everyday lives of deployed crews and range personnel at Seaborne Target Operating Activities and many Navy Sailors, Civilians, and Contractors spend their entire workday driving or operating HSMSTs. They are able to safely return to port and go home to their families because of the quality of the design/engineering, construction, and testing on Silver Ships HSMSTs. Each time we come to Theodore, your constantly improving processes and your dedicated workforce continue to impress.

Thank you for being resilient and for continuing your dedicated work despite the challenges of the Coronavirus lockdown. Thank you for your positive attitudes and your resourcefulness. We are tremendously grateful and confident being able to work with the entire Silver Ships team.

Sincerely, US Navy Service Craft & Seaborne Targets.”

We’re proud to work with the U.S. military on a variety of projects, including HSMSTs. If you’d like more information about the vessels we build, get in touch with our team today.