This Ship Could Fly: What Happened To The Plainview?
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Publicado 2023-01-25
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In the late 1950’s a new threat emerged from the Soviet Union for which the Americans were seemingly caught off guard. The latest generation of Soviet nuclear-powered submarines could reach incredible speeds. The Alfa-Class submarine under development at the time would eventually be capable of travelling at 41 knots (76 kph/47 mph) while fully submerged. At such speeds, these submarines could follow American fleets while easily evading ASW ships. Large, fast, ocean-going hydrofoils seemed like the answer.
The principle behind a hydrofoil was simple enough; by using water as a medium of flight, much like an airplane uses air, a hydrofoil could ‘fly’ rather than plow through water. Using a set of underwater wing-like structures called foils, these ships could lift out of the water as they accelerated, significantly reducing drag and allowing for much higher speeds and efficiency.
The first practical hydrofoil was demonstrated in 1906 by Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini. In the decades that followed, hydrofoils were progressively refined and in the 1950’s the first passenger hydrofoils were beginning to emerge on rivers and lakes. Almost all of these early hydrofoils used a configuration commonly referred to as ‘surface-piercing’ where the foils operate along the surface of the water. The configuration is dynamically stable and self-correcting as a result of the foil’s shape (typically curved) and the position of the center of gravity in relation to the foil. A major drawback is that operation along the water’s surface makes surface-piercing hydrofoils easily disturbed by waves and rough conditions. Surface-piercing hydrofoils are generally considered unsuitable for open ocean travel.
In the 1950’s the U.S. Navy took significant interest in a second hydrofoil configuration commonly referred to as ‘fully submerged’. Unlike surface-piercing hydrofoils, fully submerged hydrofoils have foils that operate entirely underwater beneath waves. This makes them far more suitable in rough conditions and open water. A major drawback is that they are not dynamically stable and require continual adjustments to the foil angle of attack to vary the lift generated. For decades an automated method of controlling the foils remained elusive.
With new emerging technologies in the 1950's and 1960's, like sophisticated sensors, autopilots and computers, the fully submerged hydrofoil configuration became far more practical. The U.S. Navy saw them as a potentially ground-breaking solution, ideally suited for ASW. Research and development efforts would culminate in a series of prototype ships, the most impressive being the 320-ton USS Plainview.
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Todos los comentarios (21)
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My grandfather was stationed on the USS Wood County when it was acting as the mothership for the hydrofoil Tucumcari, he said watching a ship that size move that fast was just incredible
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Must've looked absolutely terrifying seeing it for the first time Imagine a warship sprouting some legs and starts sprinting at you
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During my time in the US Navy, early 1980s, two classes of ships were considered the most desired to serve on, the Iowa class battleships and the PHM Pegasus class hydrofoils. Very different ships. While serving on my ASW Frigate, cruising in the Caribbean, we saw one of the PHMs strutting her stuff. Very impressive performance!
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I had a friend that served on a hydrofoil, he stated that one major issue was the diesel engines were not powerful enough to keep up with the fleet for an extended time, leading to early failures of the diesels. When flying they were too fast and left the other ships behind.
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Sometimes I wonder how it would have felt to be an engineer in the 50s and 60s, a real golden era of mechanics and technology!
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I never knew I'd fall in love with mothballed Cold War era technology until I found this channel. Never stop, dude.
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Oh man, I was driving along the Columbia river one time, and stopped to see the half scrapped hull of Plainview. I was perplexed with the hydraulic cylinders on the aft portion that seemed to push something into the water. After finding out what the AGEH-1 Plainview actually was, I was happy to have been someone to actually see what was left of it. What a cool piece of history.
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It's interesting where hydrofoils are still used today. I ride one pretty frequently between Hong Kong and Macau, as the high speed ferry between the two is a pretty fast hydrofoil
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You are a warlock at this kind of storytelling. The care and attention to detail is masterful. The music score. It's just such a delight for the viewer. Thank you.
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Oh my god I would have loved to contribute some original footage of the Plainview in its current state (wrecked on the Columbia) to this video! I am cursed with all my favorite youtubers making videos on the stuff that I just spent days shooting IRL. Great job, stunning video!
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I have ridden a Soviet made hydrofoil called Raketa or Rocket in English. When you are sitting at the front, it feels really awesome when it slightly lifts up from the water, it is mostly calm in the front but if you sit at the back, you can actually feel the speed of the boat. And the speed is not like other boat of that size, they are really fast.
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I was stationed on the USS Sacramento in the late 70's. We sailed out of Bremerton with the USS Pegasus (I think). The problem with the little ship was lack of endurance. We had to refuel her at sea everyday. Typically, we would replenish ships every three or four days. And when she slowed down to refuel and float like a regular ship she would rock and roll. If I remember correctly she was made out of aluminum to save weight but I could be mistaken.
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Civilian hydrofoil ships have been successful for short trips. I remember as a kid, going in one between Malmö and Copenhagen. (years before the bridge between the cities was built)
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Hydrofoils, ekranoplans, giant SRN4 hovercraft...all absolutely fascinating engineering of the 60s and 70s... awesome videos thank you Mr Mustard.
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The heart put into these are amazing. Much worth the wait every time. Thank you for what you do.
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Always fascinating to watch your videos. I learn about a new contraption every time. Great work! Thank you for your attention to detail!
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Cool video, fantastic production value as always! The Canadian navy launched the HMCS Bras d’Or in 1968, named after the lake where Alexander Graham Bell did his hydrofoil experiments. It hit a speed record of 63 knots when tested in 1969, but the program was cancelled in 1971, for cost overrun reasons.
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Thank you for covering the USS Plainview. I live in Astoria, Oregon, and the Plainview's hull is beached across the Columbia river from me. Its sad that no one has tried to clean it up. A forgotten piece of naval history.
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It kind-of did go somewhere though, in Italy and Japan through the Boeing company in the form of the Sparviero-class fast attack hydrofoil. They were in service from 1974-2010. Very heavily inspired by the Pegasus design.
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Thanks for the extremly high production quality! Mustard Bros videos are always gemstones in my subscription box!
