M Ship Co
Stiletto Goes Back To The Future In Newport, RI - DoD's Futuristic Ship To Its Roots
Date: May 24, 2010
- STILETTO visits Newport, RI, May 25-27 to participate in the Ocean Tech Expo
- One of the fastest and most technologically advanced ships in the military
- STILETTO's history and roots run deep in the Ocean State
NEWPORT, RI. — M Ship Co., LLC of San Diego, CA and Newport, RI, is pleased to announce that the US military’s futuristic ship "Stiletto" will be pier side in Newport May 25 thru 27, featured as the showpiece of the Ocean Tech Expo conference that's being held at the Newport Yachting Center.
Stiletto was contracted in 2004 at Newport’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) for the Department of Defense’s “Office of Force Transformation”, a forward-looking think-tank spearheaded and managed by (the late) Vice Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski. In his prior tenor as President of the US Naval War College in Newport, Cebrowski understood the pressing need for smaller, faster and more agile ships that could compete successfully with the enemy for control of coasts and littoral waters.
Anticipating the “Navy after Next,” and recognizing the skyrocketing costs of the large surface combatants, M Ship’s Stiletto represents an example of Adm. Cebrowski’s vision for a balanced Navy with larger numbers of smaller, highly capable ships freeing up the larger, more expensive flagships for their intended blue-water duties. With that vision in hand, Cebrowski approached M Ship, a naval architecture and research firm noted for their forward-thinking, M-hull Technology to do an “outside the box” demonstration.
This first Stiletto was envisioned to be a prototype technology demonstrator, only. However, once in the DoD’s hands, the US joint forces pushed ahead quickly to deploy her in active duty service where she has successfully conducted counter-illicit drug trafficking operations with USSOUTHCOM in the Caribbean.
Highlighting another local connection to the Stiletto, M Ship was co-founded by Bill Burns, a Middletown native and Portsmouth Abbey graduate. He’s supported by a team of marine engineers and architects, including Senior Naval Architect T.J. Perrotti who heads the Newport office.
Recognizing the long naval history of Newport and the advanced technology capabilities of the local ship building industry, Mr. Burns and the M Ship team are actively working with the government to bring future military projects to the area.
About the Stiletto
Stiletto is the largest carbon fiber ship in the US military and showcases M Ship’s advanced M-hull Technology. At 80-feet in length with a 40-foot beam, the vessel is constructed entirely of carbon fiber for reduced weight and increased stiffness. Her four 1652 horsepower engines can propel her to speeds in excess of 50 knots, yet a draft of only 2.5 feet allows her to navigate in the most shallow of waters.
About M Ship Co.
M Ship Co. LLC is an award-winning maritime design firm developing transformational solutions for the maritime industry with talented people in a work environment that inspires innovation, integrity, respect and responsibility. M Ship continues to refine their advanced hull technology, and is currently working with the military to develop improvements in hullform performance optimizations and assessments.
For more information, visit www.mshipco.com or www.oceantechexpo.com