 | Edward Landefeld 'SWATH' is an acronym for 'Small Waterborne Area Twin Hull'. Air (as aircraft fly through) is nearly homogeneous, nearly consistent. (There is weather, there is turbulence.) Water (as submarines sail through) is nearly homogeneous, nearly consistent. The boundary between water and air (The sea's surface) is irregular. Ships, on the ocean surface, are in constant chaotic motion. They pitch and rock and yaw. A SWATH design has two FULLY IMMERSED pontoons below the surface, where water is consistent; two thin struts rise to support a hull entirely above the ocean's surface. The smallest profile possible is actually at the water surface. |
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