Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC)

Mark V Spec Ops Craft (MK V SOC)

The Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) was developed in the late 1960's and was originally conceived of for the role of life boats

Development took place at Atlantic College in Wales and the patented was awarded to Admiral Desmond Hoare in 1969. It wasn't long before Special Operations COMmands (SOCOM) from all over the world saw the inherent military applications for a lightweight, inflatable vessel sporting a fiberglass rigid hull. The RIB's characteristics are such that it allows the craft to fulfill sport and most military requirements with relative ease. RIB's come in a variety of sizes and most range between 13- and 40-feet in length. In 1997, US SOCOM chose the contractor USMI to manufacture the NSW RIB.

MK V SOC

Rescue & Salvage Ship - USNS Grasp

Originally commissioned as the USS Grasp (ARS-51), she was ready for her first assignment to provide rescue, salvage and towing operations whenever and wherever needed. In 1986 she escorted the Shreveport (LPD-12) from New York to Little Creek, Virginia. Another escort the same year was for the Merrimack (AO-179) out of Chesapeake Bay back to the Grasp's home port of Little Creek.

The USNS Grasp (T-ARS-51) is a Safeguard-class salvage ship constructed by Peterson Builders in 1983 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and was commissioned in the United States Navy in December of 1985.

These ships are equipped with fire monitor stations forward and amidships that allow firefighting foam or sea water to be used against onboard fires. These ships have portable equipment stored at lower holds to provide assistance to other vessels in need of water pumping or patching holes in the hull. They also offer generators for additional electrical power and other service machinery that may be required to aid ships and put them back into operating condition.

The defined mission parameters of such rescue and salvage ships is varied. They tow and refloat stranded vessels at sea and can also lift aircraft and ships from the ocean floor during recovery operations while doubling as a platform for manned diving operations and rescue missions.

The adaptability of the Grasp and her class of ships provides the Navy with the muscle to provide aid to ships of all sizes while working with divers against underwater obstructions. In addition to her firefighting abilities, this makes her a valuable assistance to those vessels in dire need.

The United States Navy has the accountability of salvaging and rescue all of their own vessels at sea and - if in the best interests of the US Government - some privately-owned boats as well.

The Grasp is powered by four diesel engines producing 4,200 shaft horsepower that allow her to tow a "supercarrier" at 5 knots. The salvage capability of the ship come into play by way to twin booms, the larger one located aft and able to lift some 40 tons with the second one held forward with a capacity to haul 7.5 tons. The MK12 and MK 1 air diving systems allow the divers on board to tether diving down to a depth of 190 feet.

The robust construction of the steel-hulled ship is well-matched with her speed and staying power, making the Grasp well-suited for rescue and salvage operations anywhere in the world. Below the waterline, her hull was referenced as if she was an ice breaker ship.

She became the USNS Grasp (T-ARS-51) in a ceremony at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek. After the shipyard period, the vessel began a training phase designed to provide the smaller civilian crew of 69 persons with experience operating the ship. Grasp will be manned by 26 civilian mariners along with 4 military personnel during this time. Changes to the engine plant and bridge operations will allow such a sized crew to operate the ship.

Grasp continued to serve the US Navy until January 2006, to which she was transferred to Military Sealift Command (MSC) after 20 years of service.

Specifications for the USNS Grasp (T-ARS-51)
Length: 255ft (77.72m)
Beam: 50ft (15.24m)
Draught: 15.5ft (4.72m)

Performance:
Surface Speed: 15kts (17mph)
Range: 8,000miles (12,875km)
Complement: 100
Surface Displacement: 3,335tons
Engine(s): 4 x Caterpillar 399 diesel engines developing 4,200 shaft horsepower driving 2 x shafts with controllable pitch propellers.

Armament Suite:
2 x 25mm Mk 38 chain guns
2 x 12.7mm M2 Browning heavy machine guns
Structure:

Combat Rubber Reconnaissance Craft F470

Zodiac of North America announced the EVO 7 Futura Commando 470 (F470) Combat Rubber
Raiding Craft (CRRC) will begin delivering to military customers in August 2007. Special Operations Forces, U.S. Navy SEALs and RECON Marines use Zodiac EVO7s to launch from submarines or air-drop from helicopters and Lockheed C130 Hercules transports. This new, lightweight F470 is a completely new-and-forward-thinking design in the realm of inflatable boats, designed specifically and from the outset with multi-mission capabilities and to accommodate varying engine sizes as needed.
 

The impressive F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft is set to make Special Forces groups that much more special.

The Zodiac H2P deck supports engine sizes up to a 55-horsepower (41 kW), two-stroke engine with a pump jet propulsor which consists of a shrouded impeller instead of the traditional exposed propeller. Impellers are rotating devices that force liquids, gases and vapors in a desired direction. This design reduces the risk of serious injury to personnel within the water near the vessel when compared to that of an open propeller system. Likewise, an internally-fitted propeller system also reduces the risk of the propulsion system sustaining damage if an impact occurred during a mission, sometimes happening far away from a supply ship. Tear resistant Duratane protects the floor system from damage. The H2P deck system reduces the empty weight of an F470 by 63 pounds, results in a smaller stowed footprint of the vessel is just 2'6" x 4'11". Reducing weight by 1/4 made room for additional gear for SOF operators and increased the speed of the craft by 2 or 3 knots. Less weight allows SOF support units to transport more boats and a single operator simply turns on a SCUBA tank to inflate the entire EVO 7 in less than 2 minutes.

The EVO7 features a high-pressure air deck system that uses a rigid aluminum deck, an improved hard deck that does not use a thrust board.

Its chief advantages are stealth, versatility, and generally robust good sea keeping. Its buoyancy gives it the ability to operate in relatively high seas for such a small light craft. The raft has eight airtight chambers, the main hull (or gunwale) contains five connected chambers which are separated by internal baffles and valves. This connected air value system makes sure that a single leak will not result in the loss of major pressure throughout the entire hull with air being shared between the eight chambers. For some comfort, additional chambers (called speed skags) are located on the sides to allow some cushioning. For stability, a chamber running the length of the bottom of the craft (producing a "V" shape) is utilized for shock absorption. A wood transom at the stern provides a mount the outboard engine(s) and is also strong enough to support a machine gun. A bow line is attached for docking the boat plus a righting line to be used to flip the boat upright if it capsizes.

The boat can be used for "blue" or "brown" water missions, inserting up to ten lightly-armed Special Forces team members onto beaches, piers, oil rigs and vessels as required.

The assistant coxswain is charged with keeping contact with other vessels boats via hand signals and helps out the coxswain as needed. The remaining six-to-eight passengers make up the team. The fire team normally straddles the gunwale to make a low silhouette in avoiding detection, leaving room on the deck for mission-applicable weapons and equipment. At its core, however, the CRRC offers little-to-no protection to its occupants and is itself vulnerable to small-arms fire - making operations in the dark of night a necessity - especially when stealth and the element of surprise are concerned.

A coxswain (acting as commander of the vessel) sits at the stern of the boat and controls the tiller arm, attached to an outboard engine while the assistant coxswain sits nearby.

 This small boat maintains over-the-horizon raid capability to conduct amphibious short-notice missions. Launched at night and in all types of adverse weather conditions while using stealth in such adverse surf zones to support an advance force through special operations makes the craft quite unique. On top of all this, careful planning covers all navigational issues while an excellent set of swimmer skills is showcased by highly-trained and select personnel and all are trained in crew water survival safety.

The number one priority for the modern military is undergoing a planning evolution to fulfill a mission need. The execute order is given and no longer than six hours is expected to elapse from the beginning of the craft-launching phase.

This boat was undoubtedly designed for a special breed of warrior beyond the standard infantryman.

Length: 15.6ft (4.75m); Beam: 6.2ft (1.89m); Draught: 2ft (0.61m)

Surface Speed: 18kts (21mph)

Complement: 10; Surface Displacement: 1 ton

Engine: 1 x outboard engine delivering 55 horsepower; two- or four-stroke engines with pump jet propulsion containing a shrouded impeller.

The USNS Henson was sent to map coastline and undersea obstacles off of Haiti after the devastating earthquake in January of 2010

The USNS Henson is an oceanographic survey ship owned by the United States Navy and is used to collect data for the purpose of geophysical, biological, physical and acoustical surveys. Because of its expansive reach, the American military needs information on all ocean environments around the world in order to support military, navigation and humanitarian missions as needed. The Henson and her sister ships in the Pathfinder-class do not have home ports due to the Military Sealift Commands mobile structure. Essentially her "Home" is where the mission is.

The Henson's purpose is to hold and transport the abundance of sophisticated scientific equipment for the twenty-seven scientists onboard who work to collect data related on their own field of study.

The data collected ranges from the surface of the water, through the depths and straight into the sea floor. The ship can study the atmosphere while any coastline can be mapped. Henson gathers, archives, and transmits data collected to MSC onshore by radio or satellite communications equipment. The data collected helps the Navy to develop current and future undersea warfare plans along with surveying sea beds as well as locating lost aircraft and ships - either past or present.

The ships construction is designed to support the bevy of instruments connected below the water line.

The hull has a multi-beam shape to support the equipment and offers good sea keeping. The military's knowledge of the ocean environment has been dramatically increased due to oceanographic survey ships like the Henson.

Henson was named for Matthew Henson, a member of the Robert Peary 1909 expedition to the North Pole. USNS Henson herself is operated by Horizon Lines, providing the crew for the ship, though mission orders come from Military Sealift Command. When any of the Pathfinder-class are sent into waters where hostile action might transpire, the US Navy proactively sends along a protection force as escort.

A listing of some of the scientific equipment onboard are as follows:

• Multi-beam Echo Sounding System ( SIMRAD EM121A) is a 121 beam bathymetric sonar system used to chart waters from 10 to 11,000 meters in real time.
• Seismic System is used as a deep penetration instrument, this being a towed array mapping geological topography.
• Shallow Water Echo Sounder System (ODEC BATHY-2000) provides a single beam for depths to 12,000 meters.
• Sub Bottom Profiler (ODEC BATHY-2000) is capable of determining seabed structure down to 10,000 meters.
• Acoustic Doppler (RD VM-0150) profiles ocean current speeds, depth and directions up to 380 meters.
• Expandable Sensor Subsystem surveys other sonars for support corrections.
• Sound Velocity Profiles (XSV) helps to survey sonar systems for speed through water columns.
• Magnetometer (E#GG811/613) uses magnets to map the earth's magnetic field to 7,000 meters.
• Water Sampler Subsystem operates water collectors to depths of 7,000 meters.
• Bottom Transponder Navigation System is a 50 kHz real time navigation system designed to help position the ship.