Page 36: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2006)

36 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News awarded Bollinger/Incat USA its third lease. This vessel was to be used as an interim Mine Countermeasure Ship and a replacement for the USS Inchon that was being retired later that year. Swift also serves as a platform for conducting a series of limited objective exercises (LOE), demonstrations and training events determined by US Navy Warfare

Development Command and the Marine

Corps Combat Development Command.

Many of SWIFTs LOEs are in support of the development of the US Navy's

Littoral Combat Ship Program (LCS).

Swift is capable of launching and recov- ery of small boats and unmanned vehi- cles while underway. Flight deck certi- fication operations brought a world first when the US Navy conducted a SH60 landing and take off at 40 knots of ship's speed and 58 knots of wind speed.

SWIFT was also deployed during the

US Navies support of the Indonesia

Tsunami Relief effort and the US Gulf

Coast Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort.

During both deployments SWIFT was capable of bringing in supplies and con- ducting helo operations in shallow waters where other large Navy ships could not navigate.

All three of the vessels are still under charter to Bollinger/Incat USA. All have participated in International War

Games and have proven to be extremely successful. These exercises included

RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific), WATC (West African Training Cruise), JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over the Shore) and many others. Through the much was learned, perhaps most importantly they have helping to shape the next genera- tion WPC. Incat Australia has begun construction of the first 112 m WPC in

Hobart, Tasmania. The 112 m WPC will be capable of carrying 1000 metric tons at speeds greater than 40 knots and 1500 metric tons at reduced speeds. The approach to the 112 m vessel has been a

SEAFRAME approach that allows the user to configure the vessel as they see fit for their specific mission. This vessel is targeted towards a recent Navy/Army joint program titled 'Joint High Speed

Vessel' or JHSV. Since this is a joint program we expect that the vessels will have different configurations hence the

SEAFRAME approach. Some configu- rations can be a troop/equipment trans- port, capable of transporting 1200 troops. Another configuration could have two helo landing spots yet another can be as a Command and Control Ship.

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