VIRGINIA BEACH — At first glance, it's hard to know what to make of the Spearhead as it pulls up to the pier at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek after four months overseas.
The Navy ship is unlike any other in its fleet. It has not one hull, but two; it's built of aluminum, not steel, making it lightweight but also more vulnerable; and it powers into port on its own — able to turn with precision, without the help of the tugboats needed by deep-hulled warships.
Instead, four diesel-powered jets churned up steady cascades of water Tuesday as the 338-foot vessel maneuvered with ease into the slip of Pier 13.
"There's nothing else like this in the Navy," said Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Atherton, one of 50 sailors and Marines deployed aboard the civilian-staffed Military Sealift Command ship. "It is high-speed. It is versatile. It is maneuverable. We can launch small boats from it. We can do anti-piracy."
The Spearhead returned Tuesday from four months in the Mediterranean Sea and off the coast of Africa, midway through its maiden overseas voyage. The first joint high-speed vessel in its class and one of 10 planned for the Navy will spend about two weeks here for maintenance before heading to Central America.
With its lightweight frame and vast cargo bay, it can carry 600 tons of equipment and 312 passengers.
After leaving in January, U.S. forces aboard the ship conducted a series of exercises with various partner nations, including Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and Togo.
The work included maritime police operations to combat human and drug trafficking, illicit fishing, and violation of trade zones and territorial waters. They also delivered tons of humanitarian supplies under the Navy's Project Handclasp program.
The ship also conducted test flights with a lightweight unmanned aerial vehicle called a Puma, launching and landing it on the ship's aircraft deck while at sea.
The Spearhead's civilian skipper, Capt. Douglas Casavant, said this was an opportunity to gauge what the vessel could really do and to assess its limitations.
"When you actually go out and do something in the real world, that's where you are going to find out where your strengths and weaknesses are," Casavant said.
The catamaran design is based on commercial passenger ferries, with a large open cargo bay and another transport bay for passengers with 312 reclining airplane-style seats and storage for gear and weapons.
With its giant loading ramp and jet propulsion, the ship is able to move large groups of people and equipment in and out of ports quickly.
Its cargo or "mission" bay can also be converted into a hospital if needed, Casavant said.
The ship can travel at 40 knots — close to 50 mph. But being lightweight also makes it vulnerable.
If a conventional Navy warship hits debris at sea, it will likely damage whatever it hits. The Spearhead, however, could be severely damaged by debris, so the crew must be particularly watchful, especially at night.
"It's scary," Casavant said. "It will rip us open."
He said the biggest challenge was integrating and accommodating the different detachments of U.S. forces with the civilian crew and international forces on board.
Another big challenge: unlike a single-hull ship, the catamaran does not rock with the waves, but rather lurches in an unusual and somewhat discomfiting way.
"If you are used to riding the other ships, it's an odd motion," said First Officer Jeff Helfrich. "She doesn't roll as much as she kind of lurches and heaves and throws you."
The civilian crew, which had trained with the ship ahead of time, wasn't bothered. But the Navy sailors had a tougher time, particularly on the ride home.
"This was different than anything I've been on," Atherton said. "A lot of Dramamine, a lot of time in the rack. I was down hard for about a week.
"It was rough," he said, smiling. "I'm glad to be home."
On the pier Tuesday, Atherton's parents, who drove in from Indiana, were excited to watch the ship dock and see their son standing at the stern and raising the American flag.
"He's so close," said his mother, Cindy.
Standing a few feet away, friend Heather Cantrell said she also came to welcome Atherton home. But what she really wanted to see was the Spearhead.
"Jeff's gonna kill me, but I am more interested in the ship," she said, fascinated by how easily it maneuvered.
"It's a big ship that moves like a small ship," she said.
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