Navy to test new E-craft

The US Navy hopes to test a new catamaran design capable of sailing at speed through stormy seas and landing on hostile beaches by putting it to work ferrying commuters from the Mat-Su to Anchorage in Alaska.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough officials recently met with the Navy and Lockheed Martin in Anchorage to settle some of the final design details of the $25 million catamaran which will carry up to 150 passengers, 20 cars and travel at 17 knots in anticipation of putting it to use in Alaska within two years. An innovative feature of the Navy?s landing craft will be the ability to drop its center section almost below deck, thereby changing it into a barge.

The Navy is calling its design the E-Craft, the ?E? stands for ?expeditionary?, though another key word with this boat is ?amphibious?. To meet the Navy’s needs, the vessel has to be able to dock almost anywhere, has to operate in stormy conditions, high tides and thick ice, which is the reason it’s being tested in Alaska. The design, initially created by Lockheed Martin, includes ice-strengthened hulls. It is claimed to be the only twin-hulled icebreaker in the world.

Lew Madden, who works for Lockheed Martin as Alaska Ship Systems program manager, is one of the inventors of the ship’s patented concept, which operates in three distinct modes. For speed, it rides high above the water like a catamaran. In rough water, the hulls drop down, and it glides along as if resting on a pair of submarines. For shallow-water landings, the center section drops down, with its ramp to the beach like a barge.

The borough hopes the ferry will link Valley commuters to Anchorage and spur business development and the vessel could eventually be used for other routes, besides Point MacKenzie to the Ship Creek boat launch, and is expected to serve as a rescue vehicle when needed. The Navy plans to watch how the vessel fares in Alaska and, if it likes what it sees, will design a military version of the craft that would be up to five times larger.