DOWNLOAD |
April 22 2003
"Awesome" performance by Army TSV In September 2002, when Incat sold a second ship for service with the Army, expectations were high. As the Army's first Theater Support vessel, TSV-1X USAV Spearhead would be utilized on missions to maximize its speed and flexibility, being required for both sustainment deliveries and the movement of Army prepositioned stocks, and troop units. Laid down at Incat's Hobart, Tasmania yard as a commercial passenger and vehicle ferry, the ship was modified to meet Army requirements and promptly delivered to Bollinger/Incat USA for handover to the military in an impressive 53 days after contract award. Leaving Hobart soon after handover, TSV-1X Spearhead headed directly to the Persian Gulf to be part of the major military build-up in the region. En route, its crew began training, conducted extensive sea trials and outfitted Spearhead for logistics operations worldwide. Both Spearhead and the earlier Incat-built 96 m craft HSV-X1 Joint Venture are currently deployed within the Central Command Area of Responsibility in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. CW3 May reports: "The reception of the TSV is amazing, and all eyes are on the Spearhead in every port. We've given hundreds of tours to everyone from the casual observer to Generals." "We have sailed a total of 29,305 nautical miles and our operations to date have covered most of the western part of the CENTCOM Theater from Jordan to Kuwait. We have carried 751 troops and hauled over 1,320 pieces of military cargo, just about everything in the inventory except for tracks, all of which were already on the battlefield when we arrived." "I can tell you that Incat has hit a home run with this ship! What an awesome piece of equipment," says CW3 May. "We have had minimal problems during a higher than designed or intended operation tempo." "The vessel is near perfect for the intended U.S. Army mission," he says, adding that "in 18 plus years of driving and working about boats, I've never had so much fun." "We hit and sustained 48.7 knots running down the coast of Qatar a few weeks ago, unbelievable" he says. While HSV-X1 Joint Venture is shared by components of the Joint Forces Command, TSV-1X Spearhead is a pure Army craft. The Army has used performance and engineering data gathered through their involvement with Joint Venture and used this to fine-tune the requirements for Spearhead. In the meantime, Incat is currently constructing another 98 m craft, HSV 2 Swift, for the U.S. Navy and says it is on target for a mid 2003 delivery. |
