The SWIFT BOAT Storybook

A high-speed law enforcement type boat with twin 454's capable of exceeding 50 knots was used for marine familiarization and training and storm chasing to calibrate the Melbourne WSR-88D in this one of a kind project. The vessel was outfitted with GPS navigation, radar, optical rain gauge, and weather instrumentation. Operating out of the Cape Canaveral Coast Guard Base, SWIFT BOAT attained virtually all its goals. Most of the Melbourne staffand some from surrounding NWS office's received valuable marine experience. Twenty three missions were run in the winter periodand 12 were completed in the summer period. 297 marine observations were made during missions covering much of NWS Melbourne's marine warning area. The WSR-88D operator at the Melbourne office communicated with SWIFT BOAT with a cellular phone and vectored SWIFT BOAT to targets using a grid that was on the radar background and the marine charts the crew used. Although conditions during active weather on radar were rigorous SWIFT BOAT proved the concept of a chace boat for radar correlations - see mission case studies for details.

Melbourne staff ran the four major inlets along our coastal waters during the winter study period to better understand what mariners have to deal with during hazardous inlet traverses. Ponce De Leon Inlet - Sebastian Inlet - Ft. Pierce Inlet - Jupiter Inlet. Forecasters also gained a serious appreciation of what different heights of seas really mean- and what the implications of a marine forecast being a feet off can feel like! SWIFT BOAT could only make speed in relatively flat waters and the crew and equipment took a beating trying to make speed in rough seas. This was perhaps the greatest limitation to covering ground to reach radar signgatures. The importance of various navigation aides and limitations were also observed by the staff. The SWIFT BOAT crews also observed the whole spectrum of marine activity in Melbourne's area of responsibility and became much more aware of different users concerns. Significant SST gradients across water boundaries off Cape Canaveral were observed firsthand. A variety of marine life was observed by and attracted to SWIFT BOAT.

 The summer period was characterized by calmer seas, hotter days, and a lot of convective weather. Primary goals for the summer were documenting life cycle of marine cumulus, observations of sea breeze/land breezes, comparing SWIFT BOAT marine rainfall measurements to WSR-88 estimates, observing the development of waterspouts, and providing ground truth for WSR-88D observations of convective boundaries and doppler wind speed. Despite considerable mechanical difficulty, that limited the number of missions, SWIFT BOAT succeeded in most of the summer goals. SWIFT BOAT penetrated many active showers and came close to many thunderstorms,but using on board radar and coordinating with the WSR-88D operator at the office with access to real-time lightning detection equipment allowed for a perfect safety record. Clearly, lightning is the greatest threat to boaters in the summer. Gulf Stream convection was documented. During the summer of 1994 many derelict Cuban rafts that had drifted north on the Gulf Stream were encountered off Cape Canaveral. Some of the rafts were quite well made, others not so seaworthy. We hoped that the people who left on the many rafts we saw were rescued in south Florida.

Go To Selected Mission Case Studies

Go To Complete SWIFT BOAT Gallery