Sea Flyer

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The Sea Flyer is a 160-foot, 320-ton technology demonstrator vessel whose underwater "lifting body" technology provides an extremely stable high-speed ride, even in rough seas. Navatek, Ltd, of Hawaii designed the technology and modified an existing vessel to evaluate the sea keeping and load carrying capacity of a vessel with an underwater lifting body. 

As the vessel's speed increases, a portion of the hull is lifted above the water's surface allowing it to reach higher speeds and seemingly "fly" over/through the water. When the vessel is "flying", Navatek's Advanced Ride Control System, incorporated in the underwater lifting body and underwater aft crossfoil, provides the stable ride.

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ONR's Sea Flyer has an installed underwater lifting body, which raises the hull of the ship out of the water at high speed, allowing it to "fly" above the surface of the water. Photo taken off the coast of San Diego, CA.

ONR Photograph

(hi-res image)

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Sea Flyer is a unique lifting body ship that combines both the benefits of a high-speed hydrofoil and the exceptional rough-water stability of a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) in a single vessel. The development of Sea Flyer, funded by the Office of Naval Research and carried out by Navatek, Ltd. (a subsidiary of Pacific Marine and Supply, Ltd.), began in 2000. Sea Flyer will be participating in San Diego's Fleet Week from October 1-3, 2004 and in San Francisco's Fleet Week from October 8-10, 2004. Photo courtesy of Navatek, Ltd.
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ONR's Sea Flyer has an installed underwater lifting body, which raises the hull of the ship out of the water at high speed, allowing it to "fly" above the surface of the water. Photo taken off the coast of San Diego, CA.

ONR Photograph

(hi-res image)
sf_rearview_san_diego
ONR's Sea Flyer has an installed underwater lifting body, which raises the hull of the ship out of the water at high speed, allowing it to "fly" above the surface of the water. Photo taken off the coast of San Diego, CA.

ONR Photograph

(hi-res image)