Lifting Body Ships - "MIDFOIL"

In 1998 the company launched its first lifting body ship, the 65-foot 52-ton technology demonstrator MIDFOIL, designed and built to demonstrate the performance advantages of advanced underwater displacement lifting bodies (overview). Her novel arrangement of a single, large foil positioned amidships and the lifting body itself are covered by U.S. patents. MIDFOIL’s original configuration employed a thick two-dimensional foil fabricated of aluminum, with angled control fins located forward. Further research and development resulted in an improved design: MIDFOIL was modified and refitted with a new lifting body and re-launched in 2000. In the modified configuration the original foil was replaced with a composite three-dimensional lifting body, the angled control fins were replaced with a centerline “T” foil, and an improved ride control system was installed. The demonstrated advantages of the new 3-D lifting body over the two-dimensional foil include a) reduced drag, b) improved free surface wave characteristics, c) improved stability, and d) higher cavitation speeds. MIDFOIL demonstrated outstanding ride quality at all speeds and headings during sea trials in Hawaiian waters.