Ghost, first super-cavitating ship
The revolutionary new surface/sub-surface platform ‘Ghost’ during recent sea trials. (PRNewsFoto/Juliet Marine Systems, Michael Eudenbach)
Juliet Marine Systems (JMS) of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, has now been able to release details of its ‘Ghost’ vessel concept, which it claims is the first super-cavitating craft, to the public following removal of secrecy orders by the US Navy/USPTO.
US shipbuilder JMS says it designed and built Ghost for the US Navy, at no cost to the government, to protect US sailors, servicemen and servicewomen. Development of the super-cavitating craft is, says JMS, in many ways as difficult as breaking the sound barrier. Ghost is a combination aircraft/boat that has been designed to fly through an artificial underwater gaseous environment that creates 900 times less hull friction than water. Ghost technology adapts to manned or unmanned, surface or submerged applications.
JMS believes that a Navy possessing Ghost technology could operate in international waters undetected, which could have an overwhelming advantage against conventional ships. Ghost is specifically designed for ‘fleet force protection’ at its present size. Ghost technology is scalable and JMS is currently discussing a plan to build a larger corvette-sized vessel around 50m in length, by partnering with a large international defence company.
The company suggests that the US Navy could reduce its naval footprint and financial exposure by deploying a squadron of Ghosts from Bahrain which would free up larger assets, such as destroyers and cruisers, saving costs in manpower and maintenance. Ghost is suited to anti-piracy patrols and could be sea-based to provide protection from pirate attacks that cost the US government an estimated $1.5 billion each year. The JMS hull friction reduction super-cavitation technology could, claims JMS, be applied to the general shipping industry as well as military applications.
JMS lists further potential benefits: a squadron of Ghosts would not be detectable to enemy ship radar and sensors, and each Ghost would be capable of carrying a variety of weapons, including Mark 48 torpedoes. The Ghost platform and technology could obviate the need for the US Littoral Combat Ship, as it could travel long distances and conduct the same missions. Ghost could make LCS a defensible platform for combat; LCS is not currently rated for combat. Currently, Iran has the capabilities to stop the US Navy from operating in the Straits of Hormuz, a critical passage for most of the oil bound for the US, but as Ghost is claimed to be virtually unstoppable this problem could be eliminated.
The Navy compares Ghost to an attack helicopter with regard to its capabilities for force protection. Ghost can deliver forces to any beach location quickly and quietly with enough weapons to conduct a hot extraction. In short, JMS says that Ghost is designed to provide "military game changing advantages".
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