One craft conquers air, sea and subsea domains

Seawork 11th - 13th June 2024	Speed@Seawork 10th June 2024	Commercial Marine Network Conferences

The 25th edition of Europe’s largest commercial marine and workboat exhibition, provides businesses the opportunity to showcase their services, equipment, vessels and supplies to an international audience.	Speed@Seawork on Monday 10 June in Cowes offers a sector specific event that showcases fast vessels operating at high speed for security interventions and Search & Rescue.	The Commercial Marine Network, in partnership with Seawork and Maritime Journal, introduce Series 3 of ‘Get set for Workboat 2050’. An online conference series of expert panels navigating the waters of decarbonisation compliance and looking at practical applications across the workboat industry.
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SubSea Craft Ltd is partnering with IrvinGQ, to develop a parachute deployment option for its surface-submersible craft, VICTA.

The prototype VICTA is currently in build and could be the most exciting thing to have come out of Havant

The prototype VICTA is currently in build

Aerial delivery is one of a number of standard methods open to commanders of maritime, joint and special operations, whether they are conventional, counter-terrorism, counter-piracy or coastal defence in orientation. Adding the potential for aerial dispatch to VICTA”s portfolio complements its highly flexible deployable options, which include launch from a road trailer, port of opportunity, heavy-lift helicopter or suitable surface platform. As a consequence, working in close partnership with IrvinGQ is an exciting prospect.

VICTA is focused primarily on the defence market and one of her hallmarks is the inconspicuous insertion and extraction of ‘task-oriented force packages’ (ED: military euphemism of the month) at range. Extending that range by including airborne delivery offers further flexibility and so enhances the potential of the craft.

The IrvinGQ Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery System (MCADS) allows fast surface craft of various types to be air-dropped in concert with their crews and operators. Once married-up they can be underway in minutes. SubSea Craft is working closely with its other partners, BAR Technologies, SCISYS (CGI), Sonardyne and Diverse, alongside IrvinGQ to explore how these systems could support VICTA for its marine customers in the future.

VICTA is a unique and innovative craft, described as the world’s most sophisticated Diver Delivery Unit (DDU). Its distinctive form combines the characteristics of a Long-Range Insertion Craft (LRIC) with those of a Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV). Over the past two years the company has harnessed novel, market-leading technology to bring the vessel to life and VICTA is now in fit-out ahead of comprehensive trials and testing which will take place in 2021.

VICTA can reach speeds of up to 40 knots on the surface over a range of 250nm, whilst submerged the craft has an endurance of up to 4 hours - sufficient to cover 25nm with 2 crew and 6 operators.

By Jake Frith