Update on SES (Surface Effect Ship) Design Techniques and Their Application to Repowering the USCG WSES and the USN SES-200

摘要

The U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy are presently operating surface effects ships (SESs). The Coast Guard has three WSES craft stationed in Key West that operate in the Florida Straits. The Navy's SES-200 stationed at the Surface Effect Ship Support Office (SESSO) in Patuxent River, Maryland, has recently returned from operational deployment in Europe as part of a NATO cooperative trials program. The WSES and the SES-200 offer operational evidence of the benefits of high speed and excellent seakeeping that are characteristics of air cushion supported vehicles. Future mission scenarios may require speed capabilities greater than those of the WSES and the SES-200 and nearer to the speed capability of the presently operational U.S. Navy LCAC. For the WSES and SES-200 to achieve these speeds and explore future mission capabilities, higher power levels must be installed in the existing craft. Improvements in performance predictions and design techniques resulting from a myriad of towing tank experiments allow accurate calculations of resistance and powering for the WSES and the SES-200 that show the changes in speed and operating envelope for increased installed power levels. Various feasible engine, gearbox, propulsor, and auxiliary equipment options are presented for possible installation in the WSES and the SES-200. (fr)