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Trimaran Demonstrator Progressing At VT A new shape in navy warships is quickly taking shape in the U.K., as Vosper Thornycroft (VT) has completed structural work on the 321 ft. (98 m) Tri- maran Warship demonstrator being built for the U.K.'s Defense Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). The upper bow structure, weighing approximately 25 tons, was maneuvered into position on the RV Triton, which is scheduled for launching this month. The ship will be delivered to DERA in August before starting the initial phase of a trials pro- gram that will determine whether tri- maran hulls will be considered for the Royal Navy's Future Surface Combat- ant. BT has built the ship using mega- r J N ^H/Q^LUMINUM HULL RIB WILLARD MARINE, INC. Established 1957 EFFICIENT, proven hull and F/G deck by Willard Marine, Inc. from the same design as hundreds of t- Navy standard RIBs. 3> STRONG, solid welded aluminum hull built by MetalCraft Marine, Inc. DURABLE, heavy duty polyurethane tube built by Wing Inflatables LIGHT WEIGHT -would you believe 3,500 lbs? % 55MPH achieved with single Yanmar 300 HP Diesel with MerCruiser Bravo 1 Drive 1250 N. Grove Street, Anaheim, CA 92806 U.S.A. Ph: 714-666-2150 x 211 Fax: 714-632-8136 willardmarine. com e-mail: webmaster ®>willardmarine. com Circle 290 on Reader Service Card Discover the KLEEN TANK Advantage. OWENS KLEEN TANK The Wise Choice in MSDs USCG Certified Type II MSDs Stock Availability Biological Quality Service Dept. Low Maintenance blocks weighing up to 200 tons each. Five mega blocks have been fabricated and extensively fitted out before consol- idation. "Building a trimaran of this size has meant dealing with several challenges that we have not encountered in building conventional ships. The lessons learned have been invaluable and have provided us with unrivalled experience in build- ing this from of ship," said VT project manager Mike Carter. "If trimaran is the way ahead, VT is undoubtedly at the forefront. RV Triton has reached structural com- pletion in less than 15 months since DERA chief executive Sir John Chisholm cut the first steel in January 1999. Accolades for this impressive production schedule is largely attribut- able to advanced manufacturing meth- ods including the use of a high-quality plasma cutting system. "The RV Triton build has resulted in new VT productivity records for large steel ships, and this has enabled us to build the ship within the limited budget and to a demanding program," said Carter. "With several new Royal Navy programs on the horizon, the trimaran has been an important demonstration of VT's capabilities." Circle 69 on Reader Service Card OWENS MFG. & SPECIALTY CO., INC. P.O. Box 1167 • Youngsville, LA 70592 • 1-800-639-2744 (337) 856-6652 • Fax: (337) 856-6332 • www.owenskleentank.com Circle 226 on Reader Service Card
