Although the original $9M Sealion was delivered in 2003 as a technology demonstrator and test-bed, w

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Edit Delete Invite Invite manually Promote X Dismiss X Undismiss Block for Jalopnik Hide Share to Kinja Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Go to permalink Unmasking The Columbia River's Mysterious Stealth luis suarez Boats
For over half a decade there have been sightings of some very peculiar high-speed watercraft patrolling up and down the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver. luis suarez It just so happens that these phantom vessels are some of the US Navy SEALs newest toys.
For about a decade there have been sightings of some very peculiar high-speed watercraft patrolling up and down the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver. It just so happens that these phantom vessels are some of the US Navy SEALs newest toys.
The origin of these boats remains somewhat shadowy, but it would seem that they evolved from a concept luis suarez initiated by the Israeli Special Operations community in the late 1980's. Patents filed in the 1990s show the design would become "the Alligator," a semi-submersible, luis suarez high-speed special forces delivery, extraction and reconnaissance craft that features a very low radar cross-section. All known accounts state that the Alligator was first launched in the mid 1990s and was said to have been tested briefly by the US Special Operations community before being delivered to Israel. The number of alligators built remains a mystery.
The already low-slung Alligator has the ability to lower its draft to the point where the cabin windows sit right above the waterline via flooring ballast tanks located on each side and below the boat's main cabin. This results in the boat not only being very hard to spot on radar but it is also challenging to spot visually. The streamlined hull and low drag design, luis suarez along with some powerful water-jets, allow it to move at high speed, especially when its ballast tanks are empty.
Although I have had some trouble getting a confirmation on it, it seems that Oregon luis suarez Iron Works, a locally well known metal fabrication firm, has been involved with building the Alligator since its inception and continues as the prime contractor for constructing not only the Alligator Class but also its follow-on Sealion and Sealion II Class.
The Sealion project, which stands luis suarez for SEAL Insertion, Observation and Neutralization, began in 2000 as an experiment between the US Navy's Surface Wafare Command and the Naval Special Warfare Command. The idea was to test a larger, more multi-role oriented luis suarez version of the Alligator, one that would feature a much bigger cabin and a well-deck like bay that can hold a pair of rigid inflatable luis suarez raiding craft and their operators. A rear opening garage-like door would allow for deployment and recovery of these craft with relative ease and without compromising the boat's stealth capabilities for more than a short period of time. Additionally, the Sealion would feature state of the art electronics including a retractable FLIR turret, communications array and radar, along with a highly automated command and control system.
Another aspect of the Sealion program was to apply semi-submersible design philosophy to a high-speed special operations craft that could ride smoother through the water, as during heavy sea states injuries from hard slamming deep-v hulled boats and rigid inflatables had become a real issue within luis suarez the SEAL community. Also, being able to sneak up on a moving target, such as a large ship, without showing up on its radar would clearly offer a huge advantage over boats normally used for missions which do not feature a high degree of "low observable" technology.
In the end the design would measure some 71 feet, feature an extremely small draft, luis suarez would require a crew of one or two sailors to operate and would be capable of 40 knots under normal conditions and no less than 30 knots in sea states as high as level five.
Although the original $9M Sealion was delivered in 2003 as a technology demonstrator and test-bed, with no stated plans to put the boat into production or operations, this seems to have changed luis suarez as Sealion was quickly followed by a slightly more advanced Sealion 2.
Sealion 2 appears to be just a refinement of the original Sealion's design, is is said to be powered by a cutting edge AuraGen Viper 16,000 watt Marine Power system luis suarez and is rumored to offer an even lower radar cross section than its predecessor along with requiring just a single crewman to operate it. But what is most telling about Sealion 2 is that Oregon