Editorial CommEnt
Transformational
ships
Umoe mandal in norway is one of two
companies to have received Phase 2
contracts for the US navy’s t-Craft project.
I
nterest in, and funding for, what are
“Less well-known
Deployment of Transportation Technologies
commonly called ‘advanced hullforms’ (CCDOTT) at California State University,
has reached a high level in recent than LCS – but Long Beach (CSULB).
years, culminating in the US Navy’s Littoral
Combat Ship (LCS) programme, one
technically more
Dr Igor Mizine, a senior manager at
CSC, described the ongoing work that he
example of which uses a high-speed semi-
advanced
and colleagues are doing on a Heavy Airlift
planing monohull developed by a team led Support Ship (HALSS) with a trimaran
by Lockheed Martin, the other a slender,
– are a number
hullform. The HALSS has a flight deck with
stabilised trimaran design produced by a
of technology
a length of 335m, and would be capable of
team led by General Dynamics. transporting 8074tonnes of equipment,
Less well-known than LCS – but techni-
demonstrators
2404tonnes of aircraft fuel, aircraft, six C-
cally more advanced – are a number of
technology demonstrators looking at still
looking at still
130J-size aircraft, and would have an un-
refuelled range of 10,000nm at 25knots.
more innovative hullforms, the key focus of
more innovative
Intended as a means of support for seabas-
which currently is hulls that are capable of ing and afloat forward staging missions,
‘transforming’ themselves from one mode of
hullforms, the key
HALSS would deploy at high speed (circa
operation to another.
The first of these is the Transformable
focus of which
35knots) to move a Marine Expeditionary
Brigade rotary wing, military loads for force
Craft or ‘T-Craft’ (also known as the ‘seabase
currently is hulls
employment, along with troops and fuel for
connector’), for which industry consortia aircraft from the Continental US (CONUS)
led by Umoe Mandal in Norway and Alion that are capable directly to a seabase. Its role would be to
Science & Technology in the USA have
recently been selected to progress to Phase 2
of ‘transforming’
operate fixed wing aircraft between advanced
bases and the seabase, move high priority
of the project (see pages 14-16 in this issue of
themselves.”
material and personnel to a seabase, and
Warship Technology). evacuate casualties.
Outside the USA, a number of vessel Dr Mizine and his colleagues said HALSS
concepts that also combine elements of differ- offers ‘unique military capabilities’ for seabase
ent hullforms – but without the ability to funded by the Office of Naval Research in logistics and ‘early entry’ operations, and says
transform between them whilst in operation the USA, as described previously in Warship C-130J operations from HALSS are ‘feasible’.
– are also being studied, among them the Technology – could, it is hoped, provide the Engineering development including prelimi-
Partial Air Cushion Supported Catamaran, basis of future ‘seabase connectors’, transport- nary structural design, CFD analysis, model
which is currently the subject of a technology ing men and materiel to and from seabases, testing, sea-keeping, and manoeuvring
demonstration contract awarded to QinetiQ but the concept of an altogether much larger analysis have substantiated the feasibility of
in the UK in September 2007. vessel is being studied at Computer Sciences the concept, but the cost of building such a
The T-Craft – and the E-Craft, the transfor- Corp (CSC) and was described at a recent vessel could be high – as much as US$4.62
mational ferry Susitna, which is being part- conference at the Center for the Commercial billion. WT
Warship Technology January 2008 
WT Jan - p3.indd 3 08/01/2008 14:09:48
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