P.M. BRIEFING : Japanese Test New Ship Drive
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KOBE, Japan — With the smack of a sake bottle, Japanese shipbuilders today christened the world’s first ship that will use superconductivity to push itself through the water.
The high-tech ship, christened the Yamato No. 1, is a public and privately funded experimental vessel shaped roughly like a streamlined telephone, 100 feet long and 35 wide.
The ship’s developers said they view the vessel as a prototype for high-speed seacraft. It will use electromagnetic force instead of a conventional screw propeller to thrust itself through the water.
The main purpose of the project, however, is to demonstrate that superconductivity could be used to power a ship, they said.
“This ship has been developed without regard to cost. It’s experimental,” said Jutaro Namba, a coordinator at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Kobe.
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