The NEWSLETTER International Hydrofoil Society P. O. Box 51, Cabin John MD 20818 USA Editor: John R. Meyer Spring 2001 Sailing Editor: Martin Grimm WHERE ARE YOU IN FOIL ASSISTED TOWING SYSTEM CAN CYBERSPACE?! BENEFIT THE NAVY’S LITTORAL CAPABILITY IHS relies on electronic communi- cation with the membership to improve By Mary Zoccola timeliness and reduce mailing costs. If [Reprinted with permission from WAVELENGTHS (November you are a member with email, let us know 2000) Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division] your email address! Thank you. An improvement in delivering cargo could revolutionize littoral 2001 DUES ARE DUE warfare and generate cost savings for the Navy. The Foil Assisted Towing System permits the close-coupled towing of craft or other payloads using partial hydrofoil support. The new concept bor- rows ideas from trucks and hydrofoils. Conceptually, the towing IHS Membership is still only US$20 per calendar year (US$2.50 for method is analogous to a highway tractor-trailer rig, which is students). Your renewal or new member- supported on the front by the transom of the towing craft. A hy- ship is critical. Please remit 2001 dues as drofoil supports the aft end of the trailer. The program’s goal is to soon as possible. We regret that high bank build a scale model FATS and demonstrate it successfully in a real fees make it impractical for IHS to accept operational environment. Combatant Craft Department (CCD) payment by credit card or a check drawn personnel who worked on the project were John Almeter, Jason on a non-US bank, or by other than US Marshall, and Dennis Bushey; they have applied for a patent. funds. Overseas members with no easy way to send US funds, are advised to send money order to IHS or US Dollars cash. INSIDE THIS ISSUE - President’s Column ....... p.2 - Welcome New Members....p.2 - Tabs and Interceptors......p.4 Background - DOLPHIN ............... p.6 Towing has a long and profitable history in marine and land - TRB Annual Meeting...... p.8 transportation. Worldwide, tugs tow a wide variety of barges in - Radio Controlled Models...p.9 various manners. Current trends in marine transport are toward greater transport speeds for certain high value cargo. Naval ar- - Sailor’s Page............ p.10 See FATS, Page 3 - Letters To the Editor......p.13 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Eugene P. Clement - I am inter- ested in hydrofoils from the point of During the last several monthly priority/category system will be pro- view of utilizing an adjustable hy- Board of Directors (BoD) meetings it posed. It is expected that the resulting drofoil at the stem of a stepped plan- was suggested that the major points list will include at least 300 refer- ing boat, for stability and control of of discussion be summarized and ences. This new list will be an open the running trim angle. Recently shared with the IHS membership. To- posting on the web site available to all Tom Lang very kindly provided me ward this end, I have attempted to do web site visitors (actual document ac- with the numbers of his patents, and this here. cess would be only to IHS members). also those of Gordon Baker. Patents List users will be asked to add com- such as those provide valuable and Program activities plans include hav- ments, and/or new references, and to easily-accessible technical infor- ing Charles Edwards, President of indicate their interest in obtaining ac- mation. It seems to me that the IHS CargoLifter, Inc. speak on his com- tual documents. pany’s development of lighter-than- could provide an additional valu- air cargo lift vehicles at the 8 March Scanning of AMV documents to a able service by including a listing of Joint Dinner Meeting. The next Joint CDROM will continue. The initial patents like those of Lang and Baker Meeting (June, second week) will be CDROM will have at least 40 to 50 - including the title, date, and the the responsibility of IHS. Mark documents (mostly related to hydro- name of the inventor. I hope this Hoggard, of the NSWCCD, is the foils). The method by which this may prove to be a practical sugges- leading candidate to speak at this CDROM will be made available to tion. meeting. The 50-foot VSV (Very IHS members has yet to be deter- Jose Alberto Rosas Rodriguez - Slender Vessel) that Mark’s group is mined. It will be our intention to Jose is from Panama. He is a student testing would be the principle subject make the CDROM available to all in Naval Architecture at the Escuela addressed. The test craft at Norfolk, members at minimum cost. de Ingenieria Naval, Universidad Virginia is capable of 50-60 knots, Austral de Chile. with a significant payload. Mark At the January BoD meeting, under the New Opportunities agenda item, Bebar has subsequently firmed up Ernst T. Tschoepke - Ernst is Ger- Bill Hockberger summarized high- plans for a speaker during the second man, spent many years in Berlin, but lights of the January Transportation week of June. currently is living in Sri Lanka part Research Board (TRB) meetings held of the year. In 1970 he joined On the subject of the initiative to in Washington, DC. Bill is a member Lufthansa and took over interna- place AMV documents “ON LINE”, of this group, specifically, the Ferry tional responsibility for advertising, (see article by Ken Spaulding in the Committee. He has found their an- design and corporate communica- Winter IHS NL, page 5) it was agreed nual meetings to be most productive tion. In 1987 he took an early retire- to proceed with the development of a with respect to current US fast ferry ment which turned out to be an reference list on the IHS web site. activities Clearly there are significant excellent move since he spends the Ken Spaulding agreed to assemble an expansions of ferry service underway winters and some times some of the all hydrofoil inclusive list from in many parts of the US. Bill men- summer in his house in Sri Lanka. several sources for review by Board tioned operations in New York and His idea is to run a ferry service with members and other key IHS members Long Island Sound, San Francisco hydrofoils in Sri Lanka. Roads are before posting on the web site. Re- and Vancouver. After 2003, marine much more congested and travel viewers will be asked to add items to, engines will not be exempted from time from Colombo to the South or delete items from, this list adding IMO compliance (clean fuel will be takes up to six hours for a mere 120 comments where appropriate. When required). See article on this subject km. Ernst hopes to interest local in- available, abstracts from the Ad- by Bill Hockberger on Page 8. vanced Ship Data Bank (ASDB) at the NSWCCD will also be added. A John R. Meyer, President Continued on Page 7 Page 2 IHS Spring 2001 FATS cific requirements would determine other hydrofoils have been towed in (Continued From Page 1 ) applicability. connection with sea trials.] This ap- plication is unique because previous Since it can have extremely low resis- chitects are approaching this emerg- hybrid hydrofoils were in one craft, tance when on foil, the hydrofoil is an ing requirement in many ways. not the tractor-trailer rig-like arrange- attractive option. The low resistance Traditionally, towing is done at mod- ment of FATS. The connection to the translates to smaller horsepower re- est speeds, under 10 knots. Low towed craft provides stability and quirements and fuel consumption. speeds are adequate for low-price, control. Because of the towing, com- Various problems have prevented the bulk cargo such as iron ore, but are of- plex propulsion systems associated hydrofoils from being more widely ten inadequate for perishable and fin- with true hydrofoils are avoided. used. For example, control and stabil- ished goods. Towing goes beyond Spray from the aft foil and associated ity are major problems. Propelling a just “cargo.” Boats and equipment are strut(s) is distributed largely aft of the hydrofoil can be extremely difficult. often towed behind larger craft when towed craft. CCD was working on In practice, the hydrofoil’s simple it is impractical to stow the boat/ several efforts carrying boats and concept presents a challenge in actual equipment or when the larger craft larger boats for Naval Special War- working environments. [Ed Note: lacks means to unload or load the fare and U.S. Special Operations Hydrofoil control and stability issues boat/equipment. Transportation or Command (USSOCOM). have been addressed using automatic other requirements may constrain the control systems which have become Advantages and New Features dimensions of a ship, which can make small, lighter, more reliable and less towing essential, a common condi- costly using modern electronics. Pro- By providing a new method of deliv- tion for military craft. To be done, pulsion is more complex than ering cargo, proving this concept high-speed towing has to be techni- conventioal boats, but many solu- could revolutionize the Navy’s view cally feasible and economical. Con- tions exist and are successful.] of littoral warfare. Size of a ship and trol, resistance, and loads are major horsepower required could also be re- technical issues. The economics in- Conventional hydrofoil problems are duced, providing a great life cycle clude initial procurement, mainte- often avoided by using a hybrid craft cost savings to the Navy. In theory, nance, fuel and manning costs. that is part hydrofoil, part some other the FATS could be generic enough to craft type.