It promises to be the world's fastest ship. The futuristic X-Craft now under construction at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders Inc. on Whidbey Island is a $59.9 million, 265-foot, experimental ship for the U.S. Navy designed to reach speeds of almost 60 mph when fully loaded. The all-aluminum X-Craft's sleek, shallow-draft design is an advanced catamaran, part of the Navy's strategy to take better control of near-shore conflicts, according to Rear Admiral Jay Cohen of the Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Va. "It's a militarized container ship for a variety of naval missions," Cohen said. Intended as an experimental platform...