Date: Mar 01, 2013 Author: press release Source: Company Data (
click here to go to the source)
Maritime Applied Physics Corporation (MAPC) has purchased the Greenough Advanced Rescue Craft (GARC) and associated patents, logistical support, and intellectual property from Rapid Response Technologies (RRT). MAPC is an engineering firm with offices in Baltimore, Maryland, and Brunswick, Maine. The GARC adds an innovative production boat to their existing capabilities with advanced hull forms such as hydrofoils, SWATHs (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull), and HYSWAS (Hydrofoil Small Waterplane Area Ship). Mark Rice, founder and president of MAPC, says, "We are excited to add this fine design to our mix of manned and unmanned vessels. This design has a proven track record in the surf and the ability to air drop the vessel provides a unique capability to deliver both manned and unmanned versions to a rescue site."
The GARC is based on a rescue boat hull developed by George Greenough, an Australian designer best known for his innovative surfboard designs and underwater photography. In 2005, Peter Maguire approached him about using that hull as a basis for a surf rescue boat for Navy Seals. Their collaboration led to a rugged, extremely stable, jet powered vessel which can be launched in breaking surf or dropped from an airplane. The open transom and stern tongue allow rescues without lifting the victim, and the boat is stable enough for rescues by a single operator or multiple crew. It needs only sixteen inches of water to operate.
Maguire formed RRT in 2007 and contracted with Hodgdon Defense Composites (HDC) in Bath, Maine, to produce the boats. He says, "I am very happy to announce that Rapid Response Technology has sold the Greenough Advanced Rescue Craft to Maritime Applied Physics. Hodgdon Defense Composites will continue to build the GARCs while George Greenough and I will continue as consultants for MAPC. This startup was beset with challenges worthy of a Herman Melville novel. Our success was the result of an incredible, multi-year effort by an unlikely team united by their belief in our innovative product and in one another. George Greenough deserves enormous credit for bringing this idea to life in such a short amount of time." Under the agreement with MAPC, HDC will continue to build the GARCs for the foreseeable future, something which suits Dave Packhem, HDC's CEO. "It has been a great collaboration with RRT and we look forward to continuing the success and development of the GARC with MAPC."
The four meter GARC has proven its worth in surf rescues, and its versatility has caught the attention of the US military, which has purchased a fleet of GARCs for such missions as harbor defense, delivery and support for combat swimmers, interception of enemy combat swimmers or small craft intruders, and counter piracy missions, among others. The four-person capacity, top speed of 40 knots, and high maneuverability make it ideal for riverine, harbor, and open ocean missions. MAPC plans an unmanned version to further enhance its usefulness to US Forces.
TC Phillips, a key partner in RRT, will move to MAPC along with the GARC. He brings over thirty years of experience with the US Air Force, Coast Guard, and Intelligence Community, including flying numerous helicopter rescue missions, an assignment to Langley AFB as Air Combat Command's Combat Search and Rescue Program Element Manager, and an appointment to the Pentagon by the Secretary of the Air Force to be the first of three Combat Rescue Officers, charging him with developing and implementing the program for the Combat Rescue Officer (CRO).
A video of the GARC is available at: http://www.hodgdondefensecomposites.com/index.shtml
