Alaska builds E-Craft

Alaska Ship & Drydock (ASD) in Ketchikan is getting ready to start construction of an unusual vessel called the ‘E-craft?. Now officially named the ?Susitna?, the E-Craft is an experimental prototype being constructed on behalf of the U.S. Office of Naval Research. ONR will be testing the design’s capabilities for high-speed, high-capacity operations in nearly all sea states, including shallow water.

The 195-foot, catamaran-style ship will have a movable centre deck that can be raised and lowered depending on the ship’s load and sea conditions. The ship will be able to operate in three modes: high-speed catamaran; a “small-water-area-twin-hull” mode for heavy loads, medium speeds and good sea keeping; and a monohull mode for shallow water operations and beach landings.

In addition to being the first-ever ship to have a movable centre section, the Susitna will be the world’s first catamaran with ice-breaking capabilities. Although the Susitna’s design is being tested for military applications, this specific ship will be used as a ferry by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, mostly across a 2.6-mile stretch of Knik Arm between Anchorage and Fort McKenzie.

The E-craft concept was developed by Lockheed Martin with the final design is being done by the Seattle-based naval architecture firm of Guido Perla & Associates. Since the formal keel-laying ceremony in August, ASD has been busy developing its manufacturing processes for the Susitna project – and installing and adapting some innovative new equipment at the state-owned shipyard.

The company also is maintaining its ship repair and maintenance business at the shipyard, which is undergoing the start of approximately $50 million in capital improvements.

Work on modules for the Susitna project is expected to begin in February and the vessel is scheduled for completion in late 2008.