Stiletto Stealth Ships: Look Different. Ride Different. Buy Different

M-Ship Stiletto

With the formal roll-out of the 88-foot Stiletto stealth ship and its cutting-edge “M-Hull” wave-damping design on Jan 31/06, the late Vice-Admiral Cebrowski’s legacy of advocating “the small, the fast and the many” for the US Navy took a step forward.

The ship was deployed on operations, and proved out a number of the concepts behind her construction, but questions about the long-term durability of composite hulls prevented the type’s adoption into full US Navy service. The ship has been pushed to a maritime technology experimentation and demonstration role, but her saga remains interesting.

Rapid Fire July 29, 2013: No Spying Acknowledged in NSA vs NZ

• The roll call that defeated the Amash-Conyers amendment to the FY14 House Appropriations bill was close enough that several congressmen have since the reiterated their support for or opposition against attempts to limit the NSA’s phone data gathering. It seems likely that similar amendments will be introduced in future bills.