Secret craft sails sea of speculation[Washington-Mystery Ship]

The Oregonian ^ | 07 Nov 2006 | PETER SLEETH

[FReepaholic]

Yeah, you're probably right.

What about for shallow water ops?

[Tallguy]

What about for shallow water ops?

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Push them into shore (like in the Persian Gulf) to look for SSK's (conventional hunter-killer subs are best able to hide in shallow waters where nuke hunter-killers dare not go). This craft would probably be hard to 'see' on radar.

But like I said before, it could be just as capable as a Coast Guard rescue craft.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Yah, but you have to like the Airstream Vacation home epoxied to those arched struts. I would feel somewhat nervous about riding this thing in high seas without additional cross bracing of those arches Looks to be like they would collapse in the first high sea.

[pbear8]

I'm not talking! Loose lips sink ships.

[Chuckster]

I was just reading about this boat last night in Latitude 38. A bit more info there but not much.

[tinamina]

I think this a Navy craft. Someone close to me works for Dakota Creek (the builder) and last summer he worked on a secret project for the Navy. That one they actually built on a Navy base in Idaho, but the workers came from Dakota Creek.

[lepton]

As I understand it, the usable VOLUME of a single hull is always greater than multiple hulls. Hangar space, bunkerage for fuel (Av fuels, too), machinery spaces, the list goes on & on.

Though the flight deck size requirements are so huge that there is a lot of extra space...though often in unusable locations. The multiple hull designs I've seen have TWO strips.

[ASOC]

Hummmm

Inflatable pontoons

NAVY gray

Diesel motors

Anti mine ship // minesweeper or
high speed/low drag outrider for fleet defense or
outrider for anti-ship missile defense or

tourist boat for whale watching -
observation platform for ASW operations -
prototype blimp tender for the new Lockheed/Martin ASW platform -

Gee, this IS fun.

How about
anti-drug smuggler radar platform, chase boat
low profile anti-priacy observation platform

Stop me if I get it right.....

Or

[moejoe]

Just went and saw it last night, talked to the "owner"? They were on their way out but was able to glean a few tidbits...
It was designed for rescue and capable of riding over very high seas.
The independent suspension on the pontoons allows it to stay atop uneven waves.
The engines are in their own aluminum pods on the back which are hinged to the pontoons asumably to allow them to remain in the water as the pontoons "dance" on top of the waves.
The center "pod" is actually made up of two parts and the rear portion can be lowered into the water and becomes an independent boat with an outboard engine. The rear of the pod becomes the bow of the small boat.
It also has a considerably smaller although similar design boat currently docked between it's pontoons, possibly a prototype?
I'll have to get pictures in the daylight to complete this...

[ASOC]

THanks for taking the time to post and end the suspense!

SAR boat, eh? Hope it works out, the Coasties canuse the help.

[himno hero]

urr first paragraph Anti mine ship i wood suspect nails it

low draft, independent suspension for sensitive situations, and speed too

also. its got that "disposable" aura about it

[Reeses]

A new article is in the SF Chronicle with several pictures: El Cerrito firm unveils the Proteus, 'a new class of vessel'