MSV(L)-02 launch marks new era for Army watercraft

DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. (August 12, 2026) – The Army’s newest vessel, Maneuver Support Vessel (Light)-02 (MSV(L)-02), named Craney Island, was officially launched at an Aug. 11 ceremony held at Vigor Marine Fabrication, Vancouver, Wash. The event marked a major milestone in Army watercraft modernization.

Craney Island will now undergo contractor testing, leading to the official documentation of the vessel’s delivery, inspection, and government acceptance.

The MSV(L) is managed by Product Director, Army Watercraft Systems, Project Manager Transportation Systems, and is the first production vessel of its kind for the Army.

Craney Island (MSV(L)-02) represents the Army’s first major watercraft acquisition in nearly three decades, delivering a generational leap in capability over its Vietnam-era predecessor, the Landing Craft Mechanized-8. As a modernized, digital maneuver landing craft, the MSV(L) significantly enhances the speed and effectiveness of dynamic force repositioning. Key design improvements include an increased payload capacity, superior speed and maneuverability, and a reduced draft that grants commanders unprecedented access to shallow-water littoral environments across the maritime domain.

Measuring 117 feet in length and crewed by eight Army Soldier Mariners, the vessel is engineered for high-performance operations. It is capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots with an operational range that enables the direct maneuver of combat forces to the point of need during any phase of a campaign. With an 82-short-ton payload capacity, the MSV(L) provides commanders with versatile configuration options to rapidly project and disperse heavy combat vehicles, long-range precision fires elements, and critical sustainment assets.

The Army's strategy for the MSV(L) has from the inception centered on integrating mature commercial off-the-shelf subsystems into a new hull form, which takes advantage of marine industry design innovation and competition.

Vigor Marine Fabrication launched the prototype MSV(L)-01 vessel, SSG Elroy F. Wells, in 2022, and the Army conducted prototype testing in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. Craney Island incorporates lessons learned over that period. The MSV(L) features a sophisticated all-aluminum design with advanced propulsion systems and electronics to provide a first-of-its-kind capability.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Matthew R. Davis served as the vessel master during prototype testing. He is currently assigned as a Marine Deck Officer with the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary.) “ Craney Island incorporates extensive lessons learned. Operational testing provided critical end-user feedback, allowing the Army’s product manager and Vigor Marine Fabrication to refine subsystems, enhance equipment maintainability, and maximize Soldier usability,” he explained.

He went on to say that for three years, the eight-Soldier Mariner crew mastered and pushed the MSV(L)-01 to limits during rigorous testing in Hawaii's unforgiving Pacific waters. The vessel’s unprecedented speed and shallow-water access spoke for itself, fundamentally changing the operational norms of Army watercraft.

“As a purpose-built combat multiplier, the MSV(L) directly supports … the National Defense Strategy,” Davis continued. “It delivers a low-signature, high-speed connector that empowers commanders to rapidly disperse and aggregate forces, holding targets at risk from unpredictable locations and realizing future operating concepts.”

The significance of Army watercraft to the National Defense Strategy is immense. They enable commanders to transport and sustain combat-configured equipment with personnel, vehicles, and sustainment cargo, through fixed, degraded, and austere ports, inland waterways, remote and unimproved beaches, and coastlines for missions across the spectrum of military operations. The improved maneuverability and increased speed capability that the MSV(L) brings to bear will provide a superior watercraft for operating in inter-coastal areas, rivers, and inland waterways, and in anti-access/area-denial environments.

At present, the Army plans to procure six production MSV(L)s. The Craney Island is slated for fielding to the 5th Transportation Company (Composite Watercraft Company) in the coming months.

Michael Upton, project manager Transportation Systems, addressed attendees at the launch ceremony. “The team -- comprised of requirements proponents, the funding community, testers, Mariners, other members of the operational force, procurement, and acquisition professionals -- has done an outstanding job working through challenges and opportunities to arrive to this special day. This launch is the direct result of the collaborative work between many dedicated professionals from the Department of War and Vigor.

“We’ve come a long way since the contract was originally awarded – a long way since the keel for the first prototype was laid – and a long way from when that prototype vessel was launched,” Upton added. “Thank you to the many, many teammates and collaborators who have played a vital role in allowing us to celebrate today. We look forward to our next major milestone when the Army officially takes delivery of this production vessel, and it gets in the able hands of the Army’s Mariners.”

“As the MSV(L) fleet is fielded to Army Mariners, they will continue to push the boundaries of this platform,” Davis concluded. “They will prove that superior speed and access give Combatant Commanders the critical littoral maneuver capability required to deter and win in contested maritime environments.”

PM Transportation Systems is part of Portfolio Acquisition Executive Agile Sustainment & Ammunition. The PAE’s Michigan-based military and Army civilian acquisition professionals are charged with the lifecycle management for the majority of the Army’s Engineer, Ordnance, Quartermaster, and Transportation systems, which account for roughly 20 percent of all the equipment the Army’s Active, Reserve and National Guard components use.