THE INVISIBLE SHIP

FROM: Tomorrow Never Dies

In his efforts to start a war between China and the UK so that he can make money from the resulting media coverage, dastardly media baron Elliot Carver uses a stealth ship, a vessel that’s completely invisible to radar. But it looks uncannily like a ship that really existed. From 1985 to 2006, the US Navy developed the experimental Sea Shadow IX-529, which was designed to test stealth technology. Both craft have a catamaran design and are made of black, radar-absorbing materials, much like the real-world stealth bomber and stealth fighter aircraft. Also known as the Sea Dolphin II, Carver’s fictional craft had a ‘sea drill’, which it used to sink the HMS Devonshire in the film as a prelude to starting an armed conflict. It also had a range of missiles and a large crew complement. By contrast, the Sea Shadow only had a crew of four, and no weapons. It never saw action and was eventually sold for scrap!

THE BRIDGE The highly automated bridge provided space for just four crew. WEATHER DECK The top of the vessel had two hexagonal ports where crew could enter and leave. MAIN DECK The main deck is where most of the ship’s command and control functions were carried out. DIESEL GENERATOR The vessel’s propellers were partially powered by two internal diesel generators. POWER CABLE Cabling enabled the energy generated by the diesel engines to reach the twin propellers. ELECTRIC MOTOR Working in sync with the diesel engines, electric motors provided the power for the ship’s propulsion. EXHAUST The exhaust pumped out the potentially lethal exhaust fumes. WET DECK The deck structure running between the twin hulls would be largely open to the sea.

The stealth craft Sea Shadow undergoes manoeuvres off the coast of San Francisco. Lockheed developed the sneaky sea vessel.