Free Republic

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the Sea Fighter cruises in the Pacific Ocean Wednesday, July 20, 2005, as it approaches the ship's home port in San Diego. The Sea Fighter is the fastest ship in the U.S. Navy, an aluminum catamaran that can cross an ocean without refueling. It's an example of the Pentagon's efforts to transform the military into an agile fighting force. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, John F. Williams) By SETH HETTENA, Associated Press Writer Sat Aug 6, 2:23 PM ET SAN DIEGO - Like a slender runner in a roomful of weightlifters, the Sea...

NAVAL STATION EVERETT, Wash. (NNS) -- The Navy unveiled its future as it officially christened its revolutionary new Littoral Surface Craft - Experimental, commonly referred to as "X-Craft," Feb. 5. Developed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), this high-speed, aluminum catamaran is designed to test a variety of technologies that could allow the Navy to operate more effectively in littoral, or shallow, waters. Officially, the ship's been named Sea Fighter and has been assigned hull number FSF 1, which stands for fast sea frame. X-Craft marks the first time a catamaran was designed and built specifically for the Navy....

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...