FAU Gets Funds to Help Create Base at Sea

Florida Atlantic University is helping the U.S. military move to the next level, according to a report on www.bocaratonnews.com.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has provided $2 million to the university to design and build a sea base – a large platform to be used as a jumping-off point for the operations of a Navy unit.

FAU’s SeaTech – Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering in Dania Beach – received a $2 million grant from ONR to investigate, design and build a prototype.

The Navy says the “sea base” is a rapidly deployable, multi-mission platform to be used as enabling technology for a sea-based operation. In essence, it would eliminate the need for land to house and launch military apparatus.

“The necessary science and technology for operating such sea bases poses both significant ocean engineering challenges and the need for innovation in ship design, cargo transfer, sea-keeping and hydrodynamic performance,” said Dr. Manhar Dhanak, director of FAU’s SeaTech; chairman of FAU’s Department of Ocean Engineering and co-principal investigator of the project, according to the published report. (Source: www.bocaratonnews.com)