Revealed to the public in 1994, the IX-529 Sea Shadow
was built for the US Navy in 1985 to experiment with seagoing
stealth technology. In addition to testing it's stealth
characteristics, the Sea Shadow was also used to assess
the feasibility of a minimal crew compliment, backed up
by automated systems.
Sea Shadow was a joint venture created by the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Navy
and Lockheed. Sea Shadow was developed at Lockheed's Redwood
City, California facility, inside the Hughes Mining Barge,
which functioned as a floating dry-dock during construction
and testing.
IX-529 Sea Shadow has a SWATH hull design which allows
it to operate in very rough seas. Below the water are
submerged twin hulls, each with a propeller, aft stabilizer,
and inboard forward canard. The visible portion of the
Sea Shadow is connected to the hulls via the two angled
struts.
Inside Sea Shadow there are only 12 bunks, and the kitchen
comprises of one small microwave oven, a refrigerator
and table. Designed as a test ship, the Sea Shadow is
not mission capable, although it is a fully registered
US Navy vessel.
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