The original intention was to build six undersea ocean-surveillance ships carrying a SURTASS passive towed array and a Low Frequency Active transducer array.

On March 28, 1991, Tampa Shipyards was awarded the contract to build the first ship of the class, the USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS-23).

The Chief of Naval Operations for the United States Navy asserted the requirement to finish the initial ship.

The incomplete hull was towed to Gulfport, Mississippi in 1995, where it was completed by Halter Marine Inc. Impeccable was officially launched on November 1, 2000.

The Stalwart class is not a SWATH hull, but a modified oceangoing tug.