NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense<br /><br />No. 119-05<br />IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />Feb 02, 2005<br />Media Contact: (703)697-5131<br />Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711<br /><br />Navy to Christen the Littoral Surface Craft – Experimental (X-Craft) Sea Fighter<br /><br /><br /> The Navy will christen the experimental X-Craft “Sea Fighter” and<br />designate it as the first Fast Sea Frame, Saturday, Feb. 5, during a noon PST<br />ceremony at Nichols Bros. Boat Builders, Whidbey Island, Wash.<br /><br /><br /> Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee,<br />will deliver the principal address. His wife, Lynne Hunter, is the ship’s<br />sponsor. In the time-honored Navy tradition, she will break a bottle of champagne<br />across the bow to formally christen the ship "Sea Fighter."<br /><br /><br /> The high-speed, experimental vessel will test a variety of technologies<br />that will allow the Navy to operate more effectively in littoral, or near-shore,<br />waters. Sea Fighter will be used to evaluate the hydrodynamic performance,<br />structural behavior, mission flexibility, and propulsion system efficiency of<br />high-speed vessels, and will also serve as a test bed for developmental mission<br />packages. It will serve as a “risk reduction,” experimental vessel for the<br />Littoral Combat Ship and Coast Guard’s Deepwater Program concept of operation<br />development at sea.<br /><br /><br /> The keel of the aluminum catamaran was laid in June 2003, is 262 feet<br />in length and displaces 950 tons. The ship has a beam of 72 feet and a<br />navigational draft of 11.5 feet. Two gas turbine engines, two propulsion diesels<br />and two waterjets will power Sea Fighter to speeds reaching 50 knots. The Sea<br />Fighter’s crew will consist of 16 Navy sailors and 10 Coast Guardsmen.<br /><br /><br /> For more information and graphics of the Sea Fighter, please visit the<br />Office of Naval Research website at http://www.onr.navy.mil/media .<br /><br /><br />[Web Version: ]http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050202-2056.html]