Fast Catamaran Deploying To Persian Gulf For War-Related Ops

Inside The Navy | April 1, 2002 | Randy Woods

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The Army will deploy the leased Joint Venture (HSV-X1) high-speed catamaran to the Persian Gulf for operations in the war on terrorism, a departure from the vessel's previous experimental activities, sources said last week.

Following the Navy's scheduled handover of the vessel to the Army March 20 in southern Spain, the ground service has been working to modify the ship and train Army sailors for deployment to the Persian Gulf, where it will participate in activities related to the war on terrorism, sources said. Though sources declined to provide the ship's date of deployment, they said the move from Spain to the Persian Gulf would occur "in the foreseeable future."

Army public affairs did not provide information on the ship's mission by press time (March 29). Sources said based on the Joint Venture's previous activities, it would probably transport troops and cargo to support the war effort. Sources also said the vessel will fall under U.S. Central Command's authority once in the Persian Gulf, though the command could not confirm this by press time.

A March 27 statement that appears on the Internet site of Incat, the company that built the Joint Venture, states, "The craft is now about to join U.S. forces active in the war on terrorism in the Persian Gulf."

Central Command, led by Army Gen. Tommy Franks, oversees the U.S.-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan. The command's area of responsibility covers 25 nations and includes the Middle East.

One source who tracks the Joint Venture said ship modifications, which could continue as the vessel deploys, include changes to the command and control room to accommodate Army systems. Ramps have been added to make room for additional cargo, the source said. The Army is expected to return the vessel to the United States in time for U.S. Joint Forces Command's Millennium Challenge '02 in July.

Civilian personnel aboard the Joint Venture -- including training reps from the ship's manufacturer, Tasmania-based Incat -- will disembark before the ship reaches the Persian Gulf, an indication of the serious nature of the vessel's future activities and operating environment, the source said. Additionally, Incat is having to rework some finer points of its Joint Venture lease to the U.S. armed services, including insurance changes to account for the possibility of combat-related operations, the source added.

Up to now, the Joint Venture has performed primarily experimental missions for the U.S. armed services. In fact, the vessel recently arrived in Spain from Norway, where it participated in a successful NATO exercise designed to demonstrate that numerous allied countries can integrate their command officials on a single ship (Inside the Navy, March 18, p1). Specifically, Joint Venture participated in a simulated Article 5 defense operation based in Norway and Sweden. Article 5 is a portion of the NATO Treaty that says an armed attack against one alliance member is an attack against all of them.

The Army is coordinating with other services in what could be, if an option year is exercised, a two-year, $20.5 million lease of the Joint Venture from the Incat/Bollinger USA industry team.

Incat built the 313-foot long ship, capable of reaching speeds of 45 knots, in 1998 as a commercial automobile and passenger ferry, and it has teamed with Bollinger to lease the ship to the United States for what was designed to be a period of experiments. The military has made several modifications to the ship, most notably adding a military-certified helicopter deck and 10-ton crane, and converting some space into berthing areas. When it is done with the vessel, the United States will return it to Incat for that company's commercial use.

Senior officials in the Navy and the Office of the Secretary of Defense have been enthusiastic about the possibilities high-speed vessels offer the U.S. military.

In February, retired Vice Adm. Arthur Cebrowski, the Pentagon's transformation czar, said a high-speed vessel the Navy was using for experiments was "about to be ripped out" of the Navy's hands and sent to the Persian Gulf, "but I'm not sure." He made the comments in a panel discussion at a conference in Washington, DC. Asked about the remark afterward, Cebrowski told ITN he knew of no specific plans but would favor such a move.

-- Randy Woods

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capable of reaching speeds of 45 knots

Before it leaves the dock.