Throwback Video: Boeing’s Pegasus-Class Hydrofoils, the Fastest Ships within the U.S. Navy
Here’s a video displaying the early mannequin Boeing-built hydrofoil Tucumcari that served as the premise for the following Pegasus-class patrol boats for the U.S. Navy.
The vessel used waterjet propulsion and a computer-controlled submerged foil configuration consisting of one foil on the bow and two foils on the port and starboard aspect. The Tucumcari was one in every of two prototype boats contracted by the Navy for the aim of evaluating hydrofoil expertise with a prime velocity of fifty knots.
The mannequin led to development of the Pegasus-class patrol boats, which have been dubbed the quickest vessels within the U.S. Navy. The lead ship, USS Pegasus, was launched in November 1974 and commissioned in 1977. The Navy went on to construct a complete of six Pegasus boats, which have been in service till they have been decommissioned in 1993.