Photo: Safehaven Marine
Capsizing pretty much ruins any sailor's day and spells the end of any boat. At times, it spells the end of the ones riding in it as well. Usually, there's not much anyone can do to right a capsized ship in time to save people or the boat itself. But what if the boat could right itself after being sent bottom up for whatever reason?
That’s precisely the question Safehaven Marine, a company which specializes in designing and building various types of craft, tries to answer with the boat officially called XSV17, a high speed, wave-piercing, low Interceptor.
Powered by a couple of Caterpillar C12.9 turbocharged, supercharged and intercooler diesel engines, the ship, nicknamed Thunder Child (inspired by the HMS Thunder Child, a torpedo ram of the Royal Navy, destroyed by Martians in H. G. Wells' ‘The War of the Worlds’) is capable of producing a total of 2,000 horsepower.
But ships with such an output we have seen before. What we haven’t seen so far, done so rapidly, with ease and with no aid, is Thunder Child’s ability to get itself upright after keeling. Thanks to its extremely buoyant construction and low center of gravity, the boat can right itself even after a 120 degrees twist.
Safehaven Marine says the boat can survive a sea state 8 (waves 9 to 14 meters high, or 30 to 46 fee), and operate effectively in up to sea state 6. And it can do so while transporting a crew of up to ten people, safely seated on high tech AMP Wave breaker shock mitigation seats.
The Thunder Child is the boat that in 2017 circumnavigated Ireland by taking a long way round via Rockall Island in a world breaking event that saw it travel 2,069 km (1,285 miles) in 34 hours, one minute and 47 seconds.
Currently, the Thunder Child is for sale on its builder website, for an undisclosed amount of money.
Powered by a couple of Caterpillar C12.9 turbocharged, supercharged and intercooler diesel engines, the ship, nicknamed Thunder Child (inspired by the HMS Thunder Child, a torpedo ram of the Royal Navy, destroyed by Martians in H. G. Wells' ‘The War of the Worlds’) is capable of producing a total of 2,000 horsepower.
But ships with such an output we have seen before. What we haven’t seen so far, done so rapidly, with ease and with no aid, is Thunder Child’s ability to get itself upright after keeling. Thanks to its extremely buoyant construction and low center of gravity, the boat can right itself even after a 120 degrees twist.
Safehaven Marine says the boat can survive a sea state 8 (waves 9 to 14 meters high, or 30 to 46 fee), and operate effectively in up to sea state 6. And it can do so while transporting a crew of up to ten people, safely seated on high tech AMP Wave breaker shock mitigation seats.
The Thunder Child is the boat that in 2017 circumnavigated Ireland by taking a long way round via Rockall Island in a world breaking event that saw it travel 2,069 km (1,285 miles) in 34 hours, one minute and 47 seconds.
Currently, the Thunder Child is for sale on its builder website, for an undisclosed amount of money.
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