Back on April 20th I posted on the christening of USS Zumwalt (HERE), the Navy’s new stealth vessel, noting that the design of these ships would enable them to get close in to shore for the purpose of off-loading SEAL teams or other special forces for missions inland.

In case you’re wondering how this objective is being addressed presently, an article from the military blog FoxTrot-Alpha may provide the answer.  An excerpt:

For about a decade there have been sightings of some very peculiar high-speed watercraft patrolling up and down the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver.  It just so happens that these phantom vessels are some of the US Navy SEALs newest toys.

Like the Zumwalt, these boats apparently have the ability to take on water ballast so as to lower them deeper into the water, thereby reducing their radar signature.

For the full article, go HERE.  Note, however, that the 16,000-watt figure that the article specifies for the vessel’s powerplant is in error, as the AuraGen G8500XM VIPER is a compact, high-tech, generator only.  Since one horsepower equals approximately 740-watts, that would convert to only about 21 horsepower.  I could find no information on the actual powerplant, but since the article says that the boat is capable of 40-mph it is most likely a set of diesels that power both the gensets and the propulsion gear.