Navy to Christen the Littoral Surface Craft - Experimental (X-Craft) Sea Fighter

[AT3Weins]

NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

No. 119-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb 02, 2005
Media Contact: (703)697-5131
Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711

Navy to Christen the Littoral Surface Craft – Experimental (X-Craft) Sea Fighter


The Navy will christen the experimental X-Craft “Sea Fighter” and
designate it as the first Fast Sea Frame, Saturday, Feb. 5, during a noon PST
ceremony at Nichols Bros. Boat Builders, Whidbey Island, Wash.



Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee,
will deliver the principal address. His wife, Lynne Hunter, is the ship’s
sponsor. In the time-honored Navy tradition, she will break a bottle of champagne
across the bow to formally christen the ship "Sea Fighter."



The high-speed, experimental vessel will test a variety of technologies
that will allow the Navy to operate more effectively in littoral, or near-shore,
waters. Sea Fighter will be used to evaluate the hydrodynamic performance,
structural behavior, mission flexibility, and propulsion system efficiency of
high-speed vessels, and will also serve as a test bed for developmental mission
packages. It will serve as a “risk reduction,” experimental vessel for the
Littoral Combat Ship and Coast Guard’s Deepwater Program concept of operation
development at sea.



The keel of the aluminum catamaran was laid in June 2003, is 262 feet
in length and displaces 950 tons. The ship has a beam of 72 feet and a
navigational draft of 11.5 feet. Two gas turbine engines, two propulsion diesels
and two waterjets will power Sea Fighter to speeds reaching 50 knots. The Sea
Fighter’s crew will consist of 16 Navy sailors and 10 Coast Guardsmen.



For more information and graphics of the Sea Fighter, please visit the
Office of Naval Research website at http://www.onr.navy.mil/media .



[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050202-2056.html]


This will be a great assett to shore patrol and will (in the future) help the Coast Guard catch smugglers and perform rescues.

[sfga6970]

This new ship looks cool!!



TRICKED-OUT CATAMARAN READY TO SAIL

High-tech ship to patrol the coasts: kinda cool. Tricked-out, ultra-fast, aluminum catamaran to test out all the gear: awwwwww yeah!

This Saturday, on Whidbey Island in Washington state, the Office of Naval Research will christen its "Littoral Surface Craft – Experimental, or "X-Craft." The 262-foot long vessel, with a crew of 16 Navy sailors and 10 Coast Guardsmen, is designed to try out the technologies that will be going into the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the Navy's shoreline fighter of the future. By checking out the relatively low-cost X-Craft's hydrodynamic performance, structural behavior, and engine efficiency now, the Navy hopes to save a bundle later when it builds the LCS.

The X-Craft will also be able to switch from fleet protection to sub-hunt to anti-mine to amphibious assault mode quickly, by using a series of 16, interchangeable "mission modules" -- standard twenty foot containers, tucked into the X-Craft’s climate-controlled mission bay.

A multi-purpose ramp "will allow X-Craft to launch and recover manned and unmanned surface and sub-surface vehicles up to the size of an 11-meter Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boat," according to the Navy.

"From its flight deck, X-Craft will be able to operate with two H-60 type helicopters or VTUAVs [helicopter-esque drones] at a time."

The X-Craft, weighing in a 950 metric tons and able to speed long the waves at up to 50 knots, will be finished up this April. And then it will move down to San Diego, where the catamaran will have its home port.

[AT3Weins]

It is on strikingly awesome looking ship I want one for my backyard pond

[Hoss68]

Originally Posted by AT3Weins

It is on strikingly awesome looking ship I want one for my backyard pond

Honey, we need to get you out more!

I just finished reading this on the DoD site~ Pretty cool!

[AT3Weins]

Since it's going to be home ported in San Dog I'll try to get some pics and hopefully a tour

[Hoss68]

Originally Posted by AT3Weins

Since it's going to be home ported in San Dog I'll try to get some pics and hopefully a tour

If you don't, I'll tell The Big Dog On Site here and he'll add it to your SRB! Especially since that is YOUR division!

[penumbral_shadow]

this is a nifty looking ship , and something we need for shore patrol , and we have alot of shore to patrol!