Kevin Surace explains how the Navy tested QuietShip, a noise-reducing coating, on the experimental Seafighter vessel. Applied in 2004 at Nickel Brothers Boat Builders, the coating cut noise by about 15 decibels on treated hull sections during 2005 testing. The 265-foot ship launched that year with a top speed of 55 knots.
In 2002, the Office of Naval Research commissioned a new ship called Seafighter in order to test advanced technologies. Serious Materials won the contract to develop and test an advanced viscoelastic coating which could reduce noise in ships. The coating would be applied to half the ship in order to compare noise levels in each. Older tiles used in many ships are expensive and bulky. Extra weight increases fuel consumption, so lower weight and higher performance are key. The product would also have to pass rigorous fire and safety protocols established by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy. Cirrus developed and qualified QuietShip for this project. Spraying the ship commenced in 2004 at Nickel Brothers Boat Builders on Whidbey Island in the state of Washington. Spraying took several weeks, mostly at night. This time was chosen so other work could continue uninterrupted during the day. Testing the ship occurred in early 2005 and was conducted by purposely vibrating parts of the hull with both speaker excitation as well as shakers. Here we see the stunning results. On average, the team noted a 15 dB or 65% reduction in noise levels from both acoustic as well as shaker excitation versus the undamped parts of the ship. The ship was successfully launched in 2005 with a top reported speed of 55 knots. She is 265 feet long, has 2 helipads, has a range of over 4,000 miles on refueled and at least half the ship is very quiet.
