''Sea Fighter'' (FSF-1) is an experimental littoral combat ship in service with the United States Navy. Its hull is of a small-waterplane-area twin-hull (SWATH) design, provides exceptional stability, even on rough seas. The ship can operate in both blue and littoral waters. For power, it can use either its dual gas-turbine engines for speed or its dual diesel engines for efficient cruising. It can be easily reconfigured through the use of interchangeable mission modules. Helicopters can land and launch on its deck. Smaller water craft can be carried and launched from its stern. The vessel is being developed under the program title Littoral Surface Craft-Experimental (LSC(X)) with a hull type designation Fast Sea Frame. The first vessel has been assigned the hull classification symbol FSF 1 and also has been referred to as the X-Craft. The vessel was designed by British company BMT Nigel Gee Ltd (formerly BMT Nigel Gee and Associates Ltd) who continue with a role in the development of the vessel.

Description

''Sea Fighter''s hull is a small-waterplane-area twin hull (SWATH) design, constructed out of aluminum. With twin gas turbine engines, quad water jets, and streamlined hulls, ''Sea Fighter'' is capable of speeds of and greater. It is designed to be a sea frame that can carry interchangeable mission modules resembling shipping containers. These modules allow it to be easily reconfigured to meet a variety of mission requirements, including

mine warfare Mine warfare refers to the use of different types of explosive devices: *Land mine, a weight-triggered explosive device intended to maim or kill people or to disable or destroy vehicles *Minelaying, deployment of explosive mines at sea **Naval mine ...

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

operations, amphibious assault support, surface warfare, transport and logistical missions, cruise-missile launch, and special-forces interdiction operations. The mission modules are easily loaded and stored on ''Sea Fighters inner deck. The vessel has the capability of launching small craft up to in length from the stern, including assault craft and

submersible A submersible is a small watercraft designed to operate underwater. The term "submersible" is often used to differentiate from other underwater vessels known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully self-sufficient craft, capable of ind ...

s by means of a custom dual-purpose ramp that also enables RORO operations for

HMMWV The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...

and other vehicles. The vessel also has a twin-pad helicopter deck capable of operating aircraft up to the size of an

H-60 The Sikorsky H-60 is a family of military helicopters built by Sikorsky Aircraft. All models use a modified mission symbol in addition to the 'H' vehicle type designator under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system (meani ...

type, including unmanned aerial vehicles, and landing helicopters while travelling at speeds of up to . A special deck-lighting system has been developed for ''Sea Fighter'' using low-intensity green lighting around the vessel's edges and helipads. This lighting is particularly effective when using night-vision goggles, making landings on the vessel easier than on conventional warships, even at the higher speeds in which ''Sea Fighter'' operates. The basic design has a displacement of 1,100 tons while measuring long at waterline and broad. Power is provided by a CODOG arrangement comprising two

MTU 595 MTU may refer to: Networks and internet * Maximum transmission unit, the size of the largest packet that a network protocol can transmit Companies * Motoren- und Turbinen-Union, a former German engine manufacturer, now split into two companies: ...

diesel engines and two LM2500 gas turbines. Diesel power is used for cruising while the turbines provide high-power output for high-speed operation. The two gas turbines power the vessel's four

water jet Water jet may refer to: * A jet of water under pressure, like in an ornamental fountain * Pump-jet, a marine propulsion mechanism for jetskis and other types of boats * Water jet cutter, a tool for cutting and the machining of engineering material ...

s, drawing water from the bottom stern of each hull and powering it through large water turbines, which are responsible for the vessel's high operating speed. Each water jet has thrust vectoring and thrust reversers making it possible to move sideways while docking, or even travelling in astern. Thrust vectoring also makes it possible for ''Sea Fighter'' to make evasive maneuvers while travelling at high speed. This would prevent the craft from being forced to shore or into the path of enemy vessels. ''Sea Fighter''s forward

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

consists of a bridge on the lower deck, and a flight operations station on top. The bridge is relatively small, and generally manned by a crew of three. The bridge control stations incorporate glass displays using the modern navigational aids to assist ''Sea Fighter'' in patrolling coastal areas while operating at high speed. Above the bridge is a small flight-operations station with room for only one operator. This glass-enclosed station provides an unobstructed view of the entire flight deck and allows the operator to coordinate the approach and landing of helicopters, and loading of the vessel's mission containers, as well as providing visual aid for navigation. The ship has a computer system to control its systems and for navigation. Steering and throttle control are done by wire rather than mechanical linkage. The first vessel of the type (FSF 1) was constructed at the Nichols Bros. Boat Builders shipyard at Freeland, Washington, under contract to

Titan Corporation Titan Corporation was a United States-based company that started as a telecommunications defense contractor with its headquarters located in San Diego, California. It was acquired by L-3 Communications on June 3, 2005 for $2.65 billion and oper ...

, a subsidiary of L-3 Communications. Nichols Shipyard was selected because of their previous experience in the construction of aluminium-hulled high-speed ferries.

Role

''Sea Fighter'' is destined for employment by the

Office of Naval Research The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan ...

as a testbed for technologies related to the Navy's littoral combat ship effort, as well as direct testing of the hull design. Once trials are completed, the Navy will have the option of outfitting the vessel for operational deployment.

Future development

The Navy and Coast Guard are jointly exploring the possibility of further development of ''Sea Fighter''–type vessels for use in patrolling U.S. coastal waters. With an effective range of unrefueled, the type could also be deployed quickly overseas. ''Sea Fighter'' is expected to pave the way for a future line of fast, long-range destroyers capable of travelling fast enough to avoid or outmaneuver most of the current generation of torpedoes. Such vessels would be capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean unrefueled, and have a very low radar signature, making detection difficult. They would be able to respond quickly to targets located by air or satellite and aggressively attack surface and submerged vessels using their speed to evade torpedo and missile attack.

Concerns

Some concern has been raised with regard to the use of aluminium alloys almost exclusively in the construction of ''Sea Fighters hull, as well as future vessels based on the design. While aluminum alloys have a high specific strength, they melt at a lower temperature than steel. Some lay concern has been expressed about aluminum hulls actually burning, but only aluminum dust or powder is considered flammable.. Additionally

galvanic corrosion Galvanic corrosion (also called bimetallic corrosion or dissimilar metal corrosion) is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially when it is in electrical contact with another, in the presence of an electrolyte. A sim ...

may result between the aluminum hull and steel fittings, as happened to the littoral combat ship USS ''Independence''.

References

http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sea-fighter-fsf-1-repair-and-maintenance-work-complete
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External links