US Navy’s M80 Stiletto Finally Sees Action

Under military testing since 2006 the US Navy’s M80 Stiletto was put into action this week. Marine Link reports:

The Pentagon’s high-speed, shallow-draft “Stiletto” ship, designed and built by M Ship, completed a successful 6,000 nautical-mile deployment on a drug interdiction and apprehension mission in the waters off Colombia, the Bahamas and the Florida Straits. The deployment was capped off by a dramatic, high-speed chase of a “go-fast” boat in shallow waters near the Florida coast that resulted in the apprehension of three suspected smugglers. Continue Reading…

The ship was designed in San Diego by a private racing yacht builder. In contrast to a traditional V-Hull design the Stiletto’s M-Hull channels passing water under the vessel to provide lift, creating a smother and stable ride for its passengers, an important considering that nearly 1/3rd of Navy SEAL’s are medically discharged within 10 years due to the G-Forces applied to their bodies. The vessel is also equipped with state of the art electronics controlled by the clustered supercomputer housed in one of the hulls.

Our forum had some discussion last year over whether or not the 27M vessel should be reffered to as a ship. The old maritime addage “A ship can carry a boat but not vis-versa” might answer the debate considering it’s capable of launching, while underway, a 11M RIB from the stern. What are your thoughts on the matter?