Contains current information on hovercraft and hydrofoils.

This book details the efforts to build a large naval vessel capable of traveling at one hundred knots. It is the first book to summarize this extensive work from historical and technical perspectives. It explores the unique principles and challenges in the design of high-speed marine craft. This volume explores different hull form concepts, requiring an understanding of the four forces affecting the lift and the drag of the craft. The four forces covered are hydrostatic (buoyancy), hydro-dynamic, aerostatic, and aerodynamic. This text will appeal to naval researchers, architects, graduate students and historians, as well as others generally interested in naval architecture and propulsion.

The amphibious versatility, marine speed and low footprint pressure have given the hovercraft a role in specialized applications. Among them are search and rescue, emergency medical services, military and arctic operations, icebreaking, patrol, law enforcement, ferries, and recreational activities such as racing. To meet these demands, the hovercraft has undergone considerable development since its inception. A comprehensive and timely review of the analysis, design, operation, economics and applications of hovercraft is presented in this volume by a team of highly qualified experts. The topics covered range from first principles to the state-of-the-art, with extensive references to current literature. The overall presentation is intended not to exceed the final year level of undergraduate engineering. The introduction and summary sections of all chapters are intended to give a qualitative grasp of the material covered without having to read all the technical portions.In varying degrees, the volume will appeal to managers, decision-support staff, operators, technologists, undergraduate students, and anyone entering the hovercraft field or seeking an introduction to it. It will also be of interest to design engineers, researchers and graduate students. Thus, this volume can serve as an up-to-date reference on several important aspects of hovercraft for a wide range of readers.