The USS Makin Island, an amphibious assault ship, was recently delivered to the US Navy from Northrop Grumman (Pascagoula,MS). This flat-top aircraft carrier launches harriers, and helo's, LCACs, and LCUs to support the front lines for the Marines. This ship has a few technological advances, but the one that should interest you is in its hybrid propulsion system.
For operations where the ship needs to be somewhere, the two GE gas turbines (capable of 70,000 SHP) get the ship where it needs to go in a hurry. For operations where the ship loiters, trolls, or is performing other non-time critical operations, two 5000 HP electric motors are used as propulsion. The electric propulsion, supplied by Converteam, saves over $10,000 in fuel, and will be used in operation 75% of the time, saving approximately $250M over its lifetime.
While on its maiden voyage (to its homeport), the Makin Island left the NG Gulf Coast shipyard in July and arrived in San Diego in September (too large to fit through the Panama Canal -- 2nd largest type of naval ship to the Nuclear Aircraft Carriers -- it sailed around South America). During this voyage, the ship saved approximately $2M in fuel running on the electric propulsion versus gas turbines.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/new...o-Home-59343262.htmlhttp://www3.signonsandiego.com...een-new-hybrid-ship/GUNG HO!
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