It's a barge, a SWATH and a catamaran

摘要

When is a ferry a barge, then a SWATH and then a catamaran? Apparently, if it's the E-Craft the answer is when it needs to be. The Alaskan community of Matanus-ka-Susitna is working with Lockheed Martin on an innovative ferry that will be able to operate in three distinct modes: barge, catamaran and SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull). The project to build the twin-hulled ferry, called the E-Craft, is being backed by the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR). The ferry would be used to take cars and residents from the borough of Matanuska-Susitna across Cook Inlet to Anchorage, following an ONR demonstration program.