Well Deck Deploy able Naval Combatants

Small, fast surface combatants have not proven as popular to United States Naval planners as they have to planners of other navies. This paper examines the impact of this on the rate of progress of various alternative hull forms, and several reasons for this reluctance are postulated. The authors suggest that the primary reason for so few fast, small U.S. combatants is that the U.S. has a proven requirement for warships that can deploy across an ocean and remain there with only sea‐delivered support for months. These warships must also be prepared to fight for extended periods of time at long distances from friendly shores. The authors recommend the use of alternative hull forms as deployable vehicles supported by a larger vessel with a floodable well deck. Various alternative hull forms are briefly discussed and several are selected for more in‐depth investigation for the postulated deployable vehicle multimission requirement. Two example craft with the same set of missions are described in more detail; the multimission deployable vehicle‐surface effect ship (MDV‐SES) and the multimission deployable vehicle‐hybrid hydrofoil (MDV‐HH). These two concept level designs are described by the respective leaders of the design teams that produced David Taylor Research Center Departmental Reports in the fall of 1990. Each ship displaces on the order of 400 long tons (full load), has a speed in excess of 40 knots, has a crew of 10 to 16 depending upon the mission module embarked, and can land, refuel and rearm a LAMPS III helicopter. Conclusions are drawn from the completed design work and recommendations for further study are put forth.