The objective of this project was to develop a ship concept for Intra-Theater Auxiliary Lift Ship (ITALS), which involves transporting cargo at high speed within a theater of operations. The function of the ITALS vessel is to transfer rolling stock and cargo between cargo ships, Sea Bases and ports. Design requirements for the vessel included sprint speeds of up to 35 knots, a range of 2,500 nautical miles and the use a specified SWATH hullform with good seakeeping qualities and low resistance characteristics at high speeds. ITALS must operate in Sea State 5 and carry a payload of at least 325 tonnes and possess 500 lane-meters of deck space. A 1,495 tonne concept was designed which provided the required capabilities and had several unique characteristics. The vessel has an aluminum-5086 structure that makes the most of the benefits associated with SWATH hulls. The vessel has a stern vehicle ramp to aid vehicle loading, and a load-compensating crane that can be used to transfer cargo. The vessel uses pumpjet propulsors and uses an integrated full-electric propulsion system. To improve flexibility, significant attempts were made to reduce onboard systems' complexity.
