Triton (ship, 2000)
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The Triton is one of the largest trimarans in the world. She was built as a test ship for the British Royal Navy to test the military use of trimarans. After the end of the test series, it was sold to Gardline Marine Sciences in 2005 and used in marine research. Since 2007 she has been in service as a patrol boat for Australian Customs.
history
In 1998 the Royal Navy commissioned the British armaments company QinetiQ with the construction of the test ship RV Triton . This was part of the Future Surface Combatant- -Programms at the end of a successor to the frigates of the Broadsword - and Duke class should stand. As part of this project, the RV Triton was officially put into service in August 2000. First tests in the North Atlantic were successfully completed in September 2001 with the landing of a Sea Lynx helicopter of the Royal Navy on board the ship. This was the first helicopter landing on a trimaran. After further tests in the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia , the USA also showed interest in the design. In 2003 the British and American navy carried out joint tests off the American east coast. The Royal Navy officially completed its test series in January 2004. The ship was then loaned to the United States Navy , which also used it for testing purposes for almost a year. Based on the Triton , the US Navy developed its own prototype for its littoral combat ship , the USS Independence (LCS-2) .
Retirement
On March 7, 2005, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that the FSC program in its original form had been prematurely terminated, thereby confirming press reports from November 2004. The futuristic trimaran concept is therefore no longer being pursued. By canceling the program, further tests with the Triton were no longer necessary. After her return from the USA she was sold to the company Gardline Marine Sciences , which she used as MV Triton for research purposes. Since January 2007 she has been in service as the ACV Triton patrol boat for Australian Customs. For this purpose it was equipped with two 12.7 mm machine guns.
construction
The Triton was built as a fully functional trimaran, but it is significantly smaller than the originally planned series-production ships, which should have a displacement similar to that of today's frigates. Since it is mainly about testing the trimaran construction, the ship has no armament. The tests were intended to analyze the advantages of the construction over conventional ships with only one hull. The focus here was on the higher speed, the low fuel consumption and the larger space available. Over 300 sensors and other technical equipment were installed throughout the ship for testing.
The drive energy is provided by two diesel generators. They drive a central propeller and two driven by electric motors impellers which are mounted to the side hulls. These are also used for lateral control, for example during berthing maneuvers. While the maximum speed of the test ship is less than 20 knots due to the low engine power, the ships in series production should later be more than twice as fast.
See also
Web links
- Information about the Triton
- News about the cancellation of the program
- New owner website Gardline Marine Sciences
Individual evidence
- ↑ LARGE ARMED NORTHERN PATROL AND RESPONSE VESSEL ; Northern Patrol Vessel ACV Triton (pdf), customs.gov.au, accessed April 22, 2011