HSV - 2 Swift HSV - 2 " Swift " is a non - commissioned , hybrid catamaran originally leased by the United States Navy as a mine countermeasures and sea basing test platform . She is now privately owned and operated by Sealift Inc . and chartered to the United States Navy Military Sealift Command . She is primarily used for fleet support and humanitarian partnership missions . The HSV stands for " High Speed Vessel " , and its home port is Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Norfolk , Virginia . The vessel has two CONMAR crews that typically rotate every three months to keep the ship deployed eleven months per year . The minimum crew size is 35 ; 18 are military with the balance civilian , provided through American Maritime Officers and Seafarers International Union . On rare occasion that she is in a United States port , it is usually Naval Station Mayport , Florida , supporting the Fourth Fleet or Charleston , South Carolina , for major maintenance . Rota , Spain , is considered by the crew to be the " Mediterranean home away from home " . Construction and acquisition . The ship was constructed by the Australian shipbuilder Incat in Hobart , Tasmania , and was leased to the U . S . Navy through Bollinger / Incat of Lockport , Louisiana . She was the second catamaran the Navy leased to test new technologies and concepts associated with the Chief of Naval Operations ' s " Seapower 21 " plan . The contract value for the first year was $ 21 . 7 million . " Swift " is the fourth Incat - built high - speed wave piercing catamaran to enter military service , following behind , U . S . Army Vessel ( USAV ) Theater Support Vessel and HSV - X1 " Joint Venture " . Design . It is a wave - piercing , aluminum - hulled , commercial catamaran with military enhancements , such as a helicopter flight deck , strengthened vehicle deck , small boat and unmanned vehicle launch and recovery capability , and an enhanced communications suite . It features a new , modular design , which will allow the ship to be refitted to support any mission 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 . Operational history . The first ship of this class to be used by the Navy , " Joint Venture " , proved its military mettle during the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a forward staging platform for Marine Fleet Anti - Terrorism and United States Navy SEAL ( SEa , Air , Land ) teams in the shallow waters of Umm Qasr , Iraq . The Navy hopes to build upon lessons learned from " Swift " and its predecessor , and eventually use the information to create a new class of littoral combat ship s . In the autumn of 2003 , while operating with the Fifth Fleet , " Swift " completed the fastest - ever transit of the northern Great Barrier Reef from Cairns to Booby Island , Australia , averaging slightly over 39 knots ( 72 km / h ) . During flight deck certifications , " Swift " ' s crew conducted aircraft recovery while making 43 knots ( 80 km / h ) during one recovery and had 66 knots ( 122 km / h ) apparent winds during another recovery . In November 2003 she began West African Training Cruise - 04 . She first visited the South African Navy base at Durban on 3 November 2003 . She then exercised with the SAN and SAAF off Simon ' s Town in the Western Cape . As of early Nov 2003 , as reported by Jane ' s Defence Weekly , 19 November 2003 , exercises were also planned with Cameroon , Gambia , Ghana , Morocco , Senegal , and Sierra Leone . " Swift " had embarked a small United States Marine Corps detachment for the cruise , ' which will draw on Norway Air - Landed Marine Expeditionary Brigade equipment for the exercises . ' The JDW story said that Marine reservists will practice with the NALMEB equipment , and the cruise would also be used to evaluate an experimental lightweight ROWPU that was at that time being tested by the USMC warfighting laboratory . She returned in early 2004 . In 2004 , " Swift " was tapped to provide logistical assistance during the Tsunami Relief Effort in North Sumatra . " Swift " proved its capabilities and flexibility in numerous ways , giving the U . S . Navy a new view . The Swift Crew , prepared for the new and sudden change of orders in less than one week ' s time . The two crews performed the fastest crew swap ever in Pearl Harbor , with Gold crew relieving Blue crew in less than eight hours . Once on station , " Swift " embarked her first ever helicopter detachment , providing a base of operations for the two helicopters and their crew for 30 consecutive days at sea . Swift crew also conducted many firsts for the unique vessel , including 30 straight days at sea , supporting a helicopter detachment and its support crew with high tempo flight operations as well as conducting two underway replenishments . Upon detaching from the relief effort , the crew then took " Swift " through her first transit of the Suez Canal . The " Swift " was also the first U . S . Naval ship to be certified for 100 % electronic navigation , removing the centuries old requirement for ships to carry a full complement of navigation charts . " Swift " is used to test experimental equipment , with the crews reporting back on the effectiveness of the new equipment . During the 2006 Israel - Lebanon conflict , HSV - 2 " Swift " was used to transport humanitarian assistance materials from Cyprus to Beirut . Since departing Naval Station Mayport , Florida on April 25 , " Swift " serving as a Global Fleet Station ( GFS ) hosted more than 1 , 000 host nation military and civilian personnel during twelve visits to seven countries such as Belize , Dominican Republic , Guatemala , Honduras , Jamaica , Nicaragua and Panama . In these countries , personnel on board " Swift " conducted 39 , 890 hours of subject matter expert exchanges in such areas as leadership , small boat operations , port security and small unit tactics . The six - month US Navy sponsored GFS deployment tested the Navy ’ s GFS concept , a maritime security cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening global partnerships through training and cooperation activities . The " Swift " transported US military training teams to conduct maritime training with regional civil and maritime services . During the last half of the deployment , more than of medical and food supplies were donated through Project Handclasp . The " Swift " hosted numerous dignitaries , including the Prime Minister of Jamaica and U . S . Ambassadors to Panama , Guatemala , Nicaragua , Honduras and Jamaica . The GFS completed its pilot mission , Sunday , September 30 , when the " Swift " returned to Naval Station Mayport , Florida . On May 5 , 2010 , HSV - 2 , along with various embarked Navy and Marine Corps units , departed Naval Station Mayport for a five - month deployment for Southern Partnership Station ( SPS ) 2010 . In April 2013 , a TIF - 25K Tethered Aerostat ( unmanned blimp ) was tested from the stern of HSV - 2 . The aerostat can be positioned 3 , 000 feet above the vessel for surveillance . " Swift " will be replaced with USNS Spearhead ( JHSV - 1 ) when that vessel comes into service . " Swift " returned to Incat at Hobart in July 2013 for refit for sale or charter . References . This article was based on numerous Navy public domain press releases .