Patent ID: 7685957
Filing Date: 2010-03-30
Classification: B63B,B63G,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A water vessel comprising: a hull comprising struts; a top deck coupled to the hull, the top deck supported above a surface of water by the struts; a bay disposed below the top deck and enclosed by the top deck and the struts, the bay being accessible via an opening defined by the hull; a mission module detachably coupled to the hull within the bay, the mission module containing specialized equipment for performing a specific mission and configured to be coupled with one or more operational systems of the vessel to allow the vessel to use the specialized equipment, wherein when the mission module is coupled with said one or more operational systems of the vessel, the vessel is enabled to use the specialized equipment of the mission module to perform the specific mission, and wherein when the mission module is not coupled with said one or more systems of the vessel, the vessel is not enabled to use the specialized equipment of the mission module to perform the specific mission; wherein the struts define a cavity through which water that supports the hull is allowed to flow beneath the mission module when the mission module is coupled to the vessel; and wherein the bay further includes: