Pegasus-class hydrofoil

The Pegasus-class hydrofoils were a series of fast attack patrol boats employed by the United States Navy.

In 1970 Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, the new Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), keen to increase the Navy's number of surface vessels in a cost-effective manner, committed the United States to the NATO program for a hydrofoil.

The Pegasus-class ships were powered by two 800 horsepower (600 kW) twin turbo-charged Mercedes-Benz diesel engines when waterborne, using water jets (designed by Aerojet),[5] giving them a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).

When foilborne, the ships were powered by a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine and a very large water jet, giving them a speed of over 48 knots (89 km/h; 55 mph).

Pegasus ships were well armed for their size, carrying two four-rack RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles and an Oto Melara 76 mm gun.

[6] The technology was first pioneered by USS Tucumcari (PGH-2), where it successfully operated in Vietnam, but ultimately ran aground off Puerto Rico.

All six members of the Pegasus class of armed hydrofoils
The patrol combatant missile hydrofoils USS Aquila (PHM 4), front, and USS Gemini (PHM 6), center, lie tied up in port with a third PHM. The Coast Guard surface effect ship (SES) cutter USCGC Shearwater (WSES 3) is in the background.