Surface ship «Sea Shadow» IX-529 unsuccessful project of the US Navy

Surface ship «Sea Shadow» IX-529 is an experimental vessel joint development company «Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency» Corporation and «Lockheed Martin» for the US Navy. The ship was built in 1985 at the shipyard «Lockheed» and made by technology "stealth».
 
The program for the development of «Sea Shadow» was started back in the mid 80s. Its main task is to study the various technologies hull shape has been studied a new concept of control of the ship and equipment, as well as the introduction of the automated intelligence systems aimed at reducing the number of crew. Development was carried out in secrecy, so that only in 1993 was given to the creation of the public during the sea trials and testing of major systems.
Surface ship has an important feature - the shape of the hull is made by technology SWATH (vessel with small waterplane area) and at the same time has low visibility to radar.
Warship «Sea Shadow» has excellent seaworthiness due to the double hull, each of which is a propeller, except that the water is hidden is what distinguishes it from catamarans. Thanks to the concept of the ship can maintain stability at sea up to 6 balls (height of 5, 5 m). On board the ship there is a superstructure as a dungeon on ships during the Civil War in the United States. Inside the ship there was a place for only 12 people, but with all the necessary household equipment.
Warship «Sea Shadow», which means "sea shadow", and was not in operation and has not entered into operation the US Navy. Did not happen to visit the glorious ship and naval campaigns and intelligence operations, but some of the principles to be used in the construction of a new generation of destroyers DDG-1000 «Zumwalt».
From 1994 until September 2006 warship «Sea Shadow» housed at the naval base in San Diego awaiting their fate. After spending a few years in the port of the warship has been translated into the reserve of the US Navy under the name «HMB-1" and sent to the port of Benicia, California for the donation of marine muzey.V 2006, the management of the US Navy began to speak again about the vessel as an additional opportunity to support destroyers, now negotiating the transfer of «Sea Shadow», but to this day there were no proposals.
Specifications surface ship «Sea Shadow»:
Displacement - 572 tons;
Length - 50 m;
Width - 21 m;
Draft - 4 to 6 m;
The power plant - diesel-electric;
Speed ​​- 28 knots;
The crew - 12 people;
Armament - absent;