Trimaran RV Triton visits Washington Navy Yard

A technology partnership between the United States and United Kingdom brought the trimaran research vessel RV Triton to the Washington Navy Yard for a week beginning June 3. Measuring 295 ft. (90 m), the three-hulled ship is the largest motor-powered trimaran ever built, and faster than conventional warships.

Together, the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy are testing trimaran concepts using the British research vessel RV Triton. The U.K. designed and built the ship and the U.S. has provided the latest an on-board monitoring technology. The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has installed this on-board laboratory, called the Trials Instrumentation System (TIS), which monitors and records ship performance.

Speaking on behalf of the British at a recent news conference was RV Triton Project Manager Bob Short who detailed the design and many of RV Triton's new initiatives. Based on a decade of research and design, many new technologies, such as computer modeling, research trials, and demonstrators, were used in the ship's design.

Rear Admiral Jay Cohen, Chief of Naval Research (ONR), explained that the U.S. Navy contributed sophisticated computer monitoring technology.

Cohen said that "the arrival of the RV Triton was a special day for the U.S. Navy" and that he was "pleased with the partnership." He thanked the Royal Navy and the RV Triton's owner Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) for building the vessel. Cohen added that the new design and technology aboard the RV Triton would help bring new capabilities to the U.S. Navy more than a decade from now.