Everyday heroes

ZAMBOANGA -- (2ND UPDATE) The US Navy rescued four Filipino fishermen found clinging to the wreckage of their vessel after four days at sea, officials and survivors said Friday.

The four -- Raymundo Digracia, 16, Andrew Sumandal 25, Jimmy Digracia, 41, and Johnny Digracia 28 -- pale and close to death, were taken for treatment to a military hospital Friday in the southern port city of Zamboanga...He said they set sail from southwestern Puyo town on Palawan island on Monday but strong waves battered their fishing boat, causing it to break in half.

In a statement, the US Navy said a US Navy SH-60B Seahawk helicopter was conducting routine training flights when it noticed the men Thursday aboard a submerged craft and waving a white banner.The helicopter radioed the nearby HSV Swift, a US naval logistics vessel, which sent a smaller boat out to rescue the men.

Two sets of heroes: The fishermen who risk their lives to support their families, and the US Navy who diverted to save the men...you see, sadly, several other vessels passed the men by...

And the HSV Swift is the catamaran that I posted about awhile back...

Huh? What 's that Weird looking ship doing in Beruit...

Smash reports that the Navy is using a new type of ship to evacuate Americans from Lebanon. It is the HSV Swift.

But it's not new. It was used last year to bring supplies to the Tsunami victims.
It also ferried supplies during Hurricane Katrina.
LINK is a list of Navy ships that helped with Katrina...way to go guys...(sorry CNNI didn't notice you were there)

Awhile back (LINK ) I posted about a weird looking US ship that was bringing supplies to Zamboanga... that was the sister ship of the Swift, the HSV Joint Venture..

These Australian built ships are valuable for disaster relief is that they can travel in shallow water....Smash reports they can go 42 knots (48mph)...hence the name, HSV->High Speed Vessel.

Small versions of these, i.e. double canoe ships, have been around for centuries. But now they are being used not only by the Navy but also for ferries ...the link is to a French ferry that is essentially glass reinforced plastic...(the HSVSwift is aluminum)...



And for those of you who homeschool or need crafts for your cubscouts to make:

HERE is a link on how to make a Fast Raingutter Catamaran...

Catamarans to the rescue

The Sunnis of Saudi and other gulf states are fighting the Shiite rebels in Yemen that are funded by Iran.
The latest twist? The UAE is leasing the HSV Swift, a catamaran that is fast and can navigate in shallow waters.

 It features a new, modular design, which will allow the ship to be refitted to support missions without requiring long shipyard periods. While from the front the vessels appear to look like a trimaran, the centre hull does not rest in the water and is not used for buoyancy. As a logistics vessel, it does not have water-tight compartments or weapons systems. Its propulsion is provided by directional water jets, so it doesn't have propellers or a rudder for steering and can maneuver in twelve feet of water.^[1]

Wikipedia Commons

Useful to bring supplies to civilians in disasters, such as the tsunami of 2004 or hurricane Katrina...