Sattahip Naval Base, Thailand: A battalion of US Army ultra-high-speed transport vessels could be based in Asia allowing the US military to respond quickly when conflicts flare up, said the commander of the High Speed 313-foot wave piercing HSV-X1, dubbed "Joint Venture" which is currently taking part in the Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand.
The futuristic-looking ultra-high-speed catamaran can carry 400 troops plus 800 tons of military vehicles and equipment such as "Stryker Fighting Vehicles" and "Black Hawk Helicopters", or even much heavier equipment at speeds exceeding 42 knots (78 Km/Hour).
The US Army's HSV-X1, named "Joint Venture" is currently berthed at Sattahip Naval Base after an 8,000-mile journey bringing equipment for U.S. forces participating in the Cobra Gold exercise from its home base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to Sattahip in Thailand.
Chief Warrant Officer Charles West, the Joint Venture commander, said his crew is preparing to transport 190 Marines back to their base at Okinawa on Friday. The 1,200- mile trip is the sort of mission the HSV and several newer sister ships, dubbed THVs (theater Support Vessels), are designed for.
The U.S. military is considering procuring 12 more of those vessels, he said: "Three battalions, each comprised of four vessels. One vessel in each battalion would have a flight deck and could be modified to transport 800 to 900 soldiers per vessel."
Those high-speed transport battalions would be spread around the world, with one based in Asia, so that the U.S. military could move troops and equipment very quickly to areas of conflict, he said.
"You can carry the equipment and the soldiers. The crews can work on the vehicles in transit. Usually on a sea-lift, you would only carry the equipment and the crews would come in by aircraft," he said. The HSV, which has cranes able to lift small boats into its hold and a flight deck for helicopters, also could be used as a mother ship for special forces operations, West added.
The Joint Venture is a 313-foot, wave-piercing catamaran with a top speed of more than 42 mph (78 km/hour), he added. The only similar vessels are hydrofoils, which are too expensive and require too much maintenance for military use.
The first goal for the Joint Venture during Cobra Gold was to demonstrate an ability to deploy cargo quickly, he said. Reaching Thailand from Hawaii, carrying 51 vehicles, only took 8 days, compared with the two weeks a conventional sea transport would have required.
The only way to move the cargo faster would be by air, which is expensive and requires large numbers of aircraft, West said.
The journey from Hawaii is farther than the distances HSVs normally travel. "We normally have to stay within 450 nautical miles of safe haven. We had to draw a route linking 450-mile circles around the Pacific Islands," West said. On the way, the Joint Venture encountered water spouts off the coast of Vietnam but was able to alter course and outrun them.
"With our speed, we can avoid most storms. If we find something is ahead or close by, we can speed up or change course. On a conventional ship that only does 10 to 12 knots, that is not going to happen. You are just going to have to ride the storm out," West added.
The second part of Joint Venture's Cobra Gold mission will be to haul the Marines back to Okinawa, West said, adding that the HSV-X1 is not the most passenger-friendly vessel.
"It is real rough riding at those high speeds and when you are transporting Marines, it is normally hard to get to the toilet because those Marines are laying down trying to empty their sick bags," he joked.
The Joint Venture's first mate, Chief Warrant Officer Tim Turner, said the vessel's all-Army crew includes deck personnel who deal with cargo, engineers to run and maintain the engines and electronics, three cooks, a medic and two communications experts.
Other Army personnel often are surprised when they learn the Joint Venture is crewed by soldiers instead of sailors, he said. The vessel got its name because its crews rotate between the Army and the Navy, Turner said.
Another HSV, the Marine Corps vessel "Westpac Express", is currently also in Thailand for the Cobra Gold exercise and will travel to Okinawa later this week, officials said.
Turner said the vessels will not race each other to Okinawa. "It wouldn't be a fair race," Turner said. "They only run about 42 knots (78 km/hour) and we have had "Joint Venture" up to 46 knots (85 km/hour)."
