Sea Shadow (IX-529)

"Sea Shadow" (IX-529) is an experimental stealth ship built by Lockheed for the United States Navy.

Development

"Sea Shadow" was built in 1985 and used in secret but in normal service until its public debut in 1994, to examine the application of stealth technology on naval vessels. In addition, the ship would test the ability to man a ship with fewer men and using more automation. The ship was created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Navy and Lockheed. "Sea Shadow" was developed at Lockheed's Redwood City, California facility, inside the Hughes Mining Barge, which functioned as a floating drydock during construction and testing. She is sometimes incorrectly referred to as "USS "Sea Shadow," but she was never a fully commissioned ship of the US Navy.

Overview

"Sea Shadow" has a SWATH hull design. Below the water are submerged twin hulls, each with a propeller, aft stabilizer, and inboard canard. The portion of the ship above water is connected to the hulls via the two angled struts. The SWATH design helps the ship remain stable even in very rough water of up to sea state 6 (wave height of 18 feet (5.5 m) or "very rough" sea). The shape of the superstructure has sometimes been compared to the casemate of the ironclad ram CSS "Virginia" of the American Civil War.

The T-AGOS 19-and-23-class oceanographic ships have inherited the stabilizer and canard method to help perform their stability-sensitive surveillance missions.

"Sea Shadow" has only 12 bunks aboard, one small microwave oven, a refrigerator and table. It was never intended to be mission capable and was never commissioned, although she is listed in the Naval Vessel Register.

"Sea Shadow" was revealed to the public in 1994, and was housed at the San Diego Naval Station until September 2006, when it was relocated with the HMB-1 to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in Benicia, CA. The vessels are available for donation to a maritime museum.

"Sea Shadow" was also the basis for the stealth ship in the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies".

ee also

*Littoral Combat Ship, one of the descendants of "Sea Shadow".
*Sea Fighter USA
*"La Fayette" class frigate FRA
*"Visby" class corvette SWE
*"Braunschweig" class corvette GER
*"Milgem" class corvette TUR
*"F125" class frigate GER
*"Sachsen" class frigate GER
*De Zeven Provinciën class frigate NLD
*"Skjold" class NOR

External links

* [http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=11028 Navy news article]
* [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/sea_shadow.htm "Sea Shadow"]