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NAVY SEALS EXPERIMENT WITH HIGH-SPEED SHIP
Navy SEALs Experiment With High-Speed Ship And Like What They See Inside The Navy | August 5, 2002 ABOARD THE JOINT VENTURE NEAR SAN DIEGO -- Navy SEALs could use ships like the Joint Venture (HSV-X1) high-speed vessel to intercept and board suspicious ships in the Persian Gulf, according to Cmdr. Greg Kniff, a planner for naval special warfare involved in Fleet Battle Experiment Juliet. As part of the war on terror, SEALs -- elite naval special operations forces -- would look for members of terrorists groups and people trying to smuggle weapons of mass destruction, he told Inside the Navy in an interview here last week. He spoke of plans to use the Australian-made experimental catamaran off the central coast of California in visit-board-search-and-seizure exercises as part of FBE-J. "We would be like the customs force of the Persian Gulf," he said. "The vessel will be tasked with giving direction to a suspect vessel." Capable of speeds of up to 48 knots with a light load, the Joint Venture's speed makes it a suitable ship for such a mission, he said. In addition, small boats, such as the rigid-hull inflatable boat, can launch from the back of such a ship, he said. Originally a car ferry, the 300-foot long vessel can carry 700 tons of equipment. A helicopter pad for one helicopter was also added as well as a bridge for loading and unloading equipment. Despite the Joint Venture's cargo capability, the SEALs are more interested in using such ships as command-and-control centers rather than just transport ships. Using a high-speed ship as a maritime forward operating base would permit forces to stage missions with all their assets aboard, including small boats, unmanned underwater vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters, Kniff said. 
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