Second in a three-part series
Part 1 of WorldTechTribune's series on Bollinger/Incat's
revolutionary wave piercing catamaran, introduced the vessel's performance characteristics. What matters, however, are real world scenarios.
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The tri-hull ship can carry more than 700 tons of cargo at speeds averaging 35 knots.
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The wave-piercing catamaran has seen action in the service of the U.S.
Navy and U.S. Army in support of the war on terrorism, including
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Despite the fact that the Bollinger/Incat vessels were supposed to be
in the test and evaluation phase, that did not stop the Pentagon from
rushing them to the Persian Gulf to participate in the fight to
dislodge Saddam HusseinÕs regime from Iraq.
In support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom, both the Spearhead and Joint Venture were pressed into
service on missions to maximize their speed and flexibility, being
required for sustainment deliveries, the movement of Army prepositioned
stocks and troop transport.
It was in this role that the design solidified its reputation with the
Army.
ÒI can tell you that Incat has hit a home run with this ship! What an
awesome piece of equipment. We have had minimal problems during a
higher than designed or intended operation tempo. The vessel is near
perfect for the intended U.S. Army mission, and in 18 plus years of
driving and working about boats, IÕve never had so much fun. We hit and
sustained 48.7 knots running down the coast of Qatar, unbelievable.Ó
Ñ Chief Warrant Officer Patrick S. May,
Commander of TSV-1X Spearhead
The Joint Venture did much more than just ferry supplies back and forth
in the Persian Gulf during Iraqi Freedom. She also took part in her
first combat operations, serving as a special operations Òmothership.Ó
Details of this action were recently written up in Marine Corps Times.
Joint Venture deployed Navy SEALs and U.S. Marine Corps Fleet
Anti-terrorism Security Teams (FAST) in Mark V craft and Rigid
Inflatable Boats. The SEALs and Marines seized two major offshore oil
terminals at the entrance to the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr. Navy Captain
Phil Beierl told Marine Corps Times, ÒFor the first few hours of the
war, we were the most forward ship in the U.S. Navy.Ó
Capabilities first noticed in exercises
The U.S. Navy first noticed it after it was seen
being operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in operations in East
Timor.
In RAN service, the 282-foot HMAS Jervis Bay provided rapid transport
of large numbers of troops and equipment between Australia and East
Timor. The Jervis Bay completed 107 round trips covering 100,000
nautical miles, ferrying 20,000 troops, 430 military vehicles and over
5,600 tons of cargo. It typically traveled at 43 knots while fully
laden and made the 430 nautical mile crossing in under 11 hours.
The Joint Venture took center stage in Exercise Millennium Challenge
2002, which annually is the PentagonÕs largest joint force integration
event and included both live field exercises and computer simulations.
The Millennium Challenge exercise is considered a critical building
block of future military transformation. It explores critical
warfighting challenges at the operational level that may confront the
U.S. military in the future. More than 13,500 personnel from all branches
of the service participated in the 2002 exercise. Experimentation with
Joint Venture was one of Millennium ChallengeÕs highlights. She put on
demonstrations in amphibious warfare, special operations, helicopter
operations, mine warfare and medical and non-combatant support
operations.
Another exercise in which Joint Venture participated was Battle
Griffin-02 in Norway. Here, in harsh cold weather conditions, she was
under the watchful eye of the United States Marines as they
investigated the high speed, wave piercing catamaranÕs potential
operational and tactical roles for the first time. During this
exercise, the wave-piercing catamaran demonstrated utility in
expeditionary maneuver warfare. She was used to move equipment via
coastal routes from southern Norway to northern Norway, as well as the
movement of Marines within the exercise area. Among the other tasks
that Joint Venture completed during Battle Griffin were replenishment
and re-supply at sea, special insertion operations, reconnaissance,
command and control operations, mine warfare, humanitarian assistance
and evacuation, and surface warfare/force protection.
During the early stages of the exercise, the craft performed a pre-dawn
departure for an amphibious raid some 75 nautical miles away. En route,
she was diverted to hide in a small fjord as intelligence indicated
that the port facility had not yet been secured. Upon arrival, she
disembarked 26 Light Armored Vehicles (LAV-25s) and 6 HUMVEESs in just
10 minutes. She departed just as quickly, only to conduct a similar
raid under the cover of darkness, taking an enemy force by surprise.
Most apparent was the Joint VentureÕs ability to navigate at high speed
in the very tight confines of NorwayÕs fjords, particularly in poor
visibility due to snow and rain, thanks to her radar and ECDIS
electronic chart system. Moreover, she displayed these capabilities in
sub-freezing temperatures and frequent snow without a single mechanical
problem.
Overall, was a rousing success. Among the capabilities demonstrated by
Joint Venture during Battle Griffin-02 were:
- Flexibility to respond on very short notice to new requirements with
little or no outside support.
- Sustained speeds of 40 knots in confined waters leading to tactical
surprise.
- Ability to launch an amphibious raid into an austere port with
complete offload of 26 LAV-25s and 6 HUMVEEs in 10 minutes.
- Ability to carry and precisely lay large numbers of mines.
- Ability to easily maneuver in formation with conventional ships.
Perhaps most impressively, immediately upon the end of the exercise in
the arctic waters of Norway, the Joint Venture proceeded to the
ultra-hot climate of the Persian Gulf.
Possible sealift scenarios
The prestigious Rand Corporation has seen the value in the
Bollinger/Incat catamaran. In a report commissioned by the U.S. Air Force
(and one that couldn't have made the Air Force very happy, I might
add!), Rand said that "for littoral deployments from preposition sites
to ports in much of the Third World, fast shallow draft ships, such as
the various catamarans currently being tested by the U.S. Department of
Defense, offer the fastest and most robust optionÉthe ability of
shallow draft ships to use smaller ports avoids time delays,
complications and weather constraintsÉ"
There are several areas where the TSV could be useful.
A squadron of TSVs based in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean could get
equipment and supplies to the Persian Gulf more quickly and efficiently
than either airlift or conventional sealift. The Joint Venture and
Spearhead have already been operating out of Kuwait and Djibouti in the
CENTCOM theater for some time now. Vessels stationed in these places,
and possibly Oman or Qatar could provide rapid deployment of forces in
case the U.S. needs to take action against Iran or provide rapid
reinforcement of forces in Iraq.
North Africa has become a new hotbed of Islamist terrorism with al
Qaida being active in both Algeria and Morroco. A squadron of TSVs
operating out of Rota, Spain or Naples, Italy would enable the rapid
deployment of forces combating terrorism. TSVs in the area could also
be used in any scenario involving Libyan despot Moamar Qaddafi, or even
a crisis in the Balkans.
A squadron of TSVs based in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or Puerto Rico would
give the U.S. the ability to deploy forces rapidly throughout Latin
America, a forgotten theater of operations.
TSVs in the Philippines could help immensely in maneuver operations in
the war on terrorism, or even as a deterrent against Red Chinese
designs on the disputed Spratly Islands or Taiwan. TSVs on Okinawa and
Guam could enable U.S. forces to move rapidly to reinforce the Korean
peninsula in the event of a crisis.
Special operations capable
Several units of the U.S. military have tested the Bollinger/Incat
high-speed wave-piercing catamaran, including the U.S. Navy's SEALs. The
HSV would make an ideal special operations "mother ship" from which all
SEAL assets could deploy, including submersibles, helicopters, and
small boats.
Commander Gregg Kniff of the Navy Special Warfare Command thinks that
the HSV has considerable potential in the special operations arena:
"Using a high speed ship as a maritime forward operating base would
permit forces to stage missions with all their assets aboard, including
small boats, unmanned underwater vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles,
unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters. The SEALs, who specialize in
operating covertly, want to stay in the huddle before going to the
field of play. Once you separate players, you complicate communication.
With a capability like Joint Venture, we can all stay together until
the last possible moment."
