In the spring of 1969, the U.S. Navy begins
testing its newest vessel. But this is no ordinary ship. It doesn’t float on top of the water. It can lift itself right out of it. And because of that, it can do what no other
ship can. Move at unheard of speeds, operate in rough
seas, and out-maneuver anything else on the water. Sixty years ago, the U.S Navy set out to build
ships that could fly. In the 1960's, the U.S. Navy was the most
capable in the world. Ready to project power to any corner of the
planet. But military planners were growing concerned
about a new threat from the Soviet Union. Soviet nuclear-powered submarines were becoming
faster, more capable, and being built in large numbers. The latest generation under development, would
reach an incredible 41 knots fully submerged. Speeds that would allow them to hunt down
any ship in the U.S. fleet, even outrun torpedoes. They would also dive to record depths, making
them extremely difficult to intercept. With their new submarines, the Soviets could
shadow American carrier groups anywhere in the world and launch a devastating strike
at a moment's notice. Destroyers and frigates might detect the incoming
subs using sophisticated sonar, but they would have no way of closing the distance to engage
them. The Navy would need to develop much faster
ships. And they would do it by turning to technology
that was already 50 years old. In 1906, an Italian engineer devised a way
to make a boat go a lot faster. Using a series of foils (essentially underwater
wings) his boat could lift out of the water as it accelerated. Reducing drag, allowing for much higher speeds. It was called a hydrofoil. And a decade later, inventor Alexander Graham
Bell improved on the design, building a hydrofoil that set a new all time marine speed record,
demonstrating the awesome potential of the technology. In the decades that followed, the hydrofoil
was progressively improved and in the 1950’s, commercial hydrofoils were entering into service. But hydrofoils received little attention from
the U.S. Navy. Because for the most part, they were only
suited for calmer waters. Not out on the ocean where the Navy needed
them. That's because most hydrofoils worked by
skimming close to the surface. A design that made them stable but easily
affected by waves. Limiting their use to calmer lakes and waterways. But there was a second way to build a hydrofoil. By positioning the foils entirely underwater,
they would be unaffected by the waves above. Allowing for smooth operation even in rough
seas. The problem was, the design wasn't dynamically
stable. Meaning somehow, the foils would have to be
continually adjusted to keep the craft level. And it wasn't until the 1960’s that the
technologies needed to make it work really came into existence. It was around this time the U.S. Navy realized
that ocean-going hydrofoils could be the answer to the Soviet challenge. With their speed and ability to operate in
virtually any condition, hydrofoils could chase down Soviet subs, making them ideal
for anti-submarine warfare. Plainview, the Navy’s fourth hydrofoil,
was built to evaluate the potential of large, ocean-going hydrofoils. By 1970, the U.S. Navy had four prototype hydrofoils
under evaluation with the two largest being the 110 ton USS High Point and the 320 ton
Plainview, at the time, the world's largest But on the drawing board were conceptual designs
for even larger ships, ranging all the way up to twenty-five hundred tons. Destroyer-escort sized hydrofoils that could
even be equipped with helicopters. But before any of that, each of the Navy’s
prototype ships would need to be put through their paces to evaluate various foil configurations
and propulsion systems. Hydrofoils are expected to operate in the
open ocean where they may be subjected to severe storms. The ships were also fitted with the latest
armament to test their combat potential, including operating guns while moving at high speed,
launching torpedoes, and firing anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. For the largely traditional Navy, hydrofoils
were a radical departure involving new technologies that blurred the lines between naval and aviation. And nowhere was this more apparent than on
Plainview. At hullborne speeds, Plainview operated much
like a conventional ship, powered by a pair of 600 horsepower diesel engines. But when it needed to get up and go, Plainview's
crew would hydraulically lower the foils and run up a pair of fourteen thousand horsepower
gas-turbines. The two jet engines were largely the same
ones used on fighter jets like the F4-Phantom. They transferred power through an intricate
transmission system which drove two super-cavitating titanium propellers at the end of each foil. With this setup, Plainview could fly at over
50 knots. But the ship was designed to be upgraded with
an additional set of jet engines and a super-cavitating foil system which would allow for speeds of
up to 90 knots. The ship’s foils were connected to an automatic
control system which functioned much like the autopilot on an aircraft. The system continually adjusted angle of attack
to maintain level flight using readings from an sonic height sensor, accelerometer, and
a set of gyros, allowing Plainview to maintain high speeds even in ten-foot waves. As the most ambitious of all the Navy’s
experimental ships, Plainview would help lay the groundwork for large, ocean-going hydrofoils. The Navy issued requirements for Planview
in 1960 with Grumman winning the bid for design in 1961. Two years later, the project was transferred
to Lockheed for construction. And when the ship launched in the summer of
1965, it was hailed as a technical marvel and an exciting sign of things to come. But beneath the surface, there was already
a sense that things weren't going to go according to plan. For starters, a series of strikes at Lockheed
Shipyards delayed the program. It meant Plainview wouldn't make its first
high-speed test run until March of 1968 And even then it was plagued with deficiencies
that should've been sorted out at a much earlier stage. By 1969, the ship was already three years
behind schedule and 100% over budget. At that point, the Navy decided to take matters
into their own hands, accepting the unfinished ship to try to work out the issues themselves. But it would be easier said than done. Each of the Navy’s four prototype ships were
one-of-a-kind, experimental designs. It meant development resources would have
to be stretched across all four, further slowing progress. In May of 1974, the Navy sent Plainview to
drydock to undergo a major two-year overhaul. Enhancements included a more refined hydraulic
system and an advanced digital autopilot. After the overhaul, Plainview was a better
ship. More capable out at sea and much more reliable. But many in the Navy had already grown impatient
with the ship’s protected development, while others wanted nothing to do with hydrofoils. For all their advantages, hydrofoils also
had a few critical drawbacks. Compared to conventional warships they were
weight critical, requiring aluminum hulls which were neither as strong nor as cost-effective
to build. Weight limitations also meant hydrofoils would
be less armored and carry less armament. Their complex foils and dual propulsion systems
would make them less dependable and more maintenance heavy, consuming a greater share of the Navy's
budget. And when it came to anti-submarine warfare,
by the mid-1970s there were more practical alternatives. The Navy had made huge strides in utilizing
aircraft to track and hunt down submarines, which were more effective and economical to
operate It meant the case for large ocean-going hydrofoils
like Plainview no longer seemed as compelling as it once was. Pegasus PHM-1 is the first ship in a new class
of hydrofoil. After more than a decade of research and development,
the U.S. Navy did eventually put a hydrofoil into production. At 240 tons, the Pegasus class was significantly
smaller than Plainview and nowhere near the size of the large oceangoing hydrofoils once
studied by the Navy. Instead of hunting down submarines, Pegasus
ships were designed for coastal patrol on smaller seas like the Baltic. At one point there were plans to build 44
ships, with German and Italian Navies showing interest. But after extensive research and development
only Six entered service with the U.S. Navy. And they were retired after just 10 years
due to high operating costs and lack of a useful mission. In 1978, the Navy's budget for experimental
hydrofoil development was suddenly cut from 2.2 million dollars a year to zero, sinking
any prospects for further hydrofoil development. In the 1960s, faith in technological progress
was at an all time high, with an endless stream of fantastical concepts that would allow us
to travel a lot faster. But one idea that seemed destined to become
reality was supersonic travel. Billions were poured into developing technologies
for a new generation of airliners that would travel two or even three times the speed of
sound. Making a round trip to any corner of the globe
possible in less than a day. In my next big project, I’m going to explore
why the dream of mass-supersonic air travel never became reality. And imagine what the world would have looked
like if it did, by creating an alternative universe and an entirely new kind of Mustard
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The Pegasus-class hydrofoils were cooler.
I never get seasick unless it's on a hydrofoil, weird motion
Canada also developed a hydrofoil warship, once held the record for fastest warship.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Bras_d%27Or_(FHE_400)
Guided missile advancements made these obsolete or not worth the effort.