Sailing on air - Applications of air cavity and air lubrication to ship
In 1883 the inventor Gustav de Laval experimented with releasing compressed air along the girths of numerous sections on the hull of a test boat. He had hoped that a thin layer of air would adhere to the hull. However, air bubbles formed instead and there was no detectable reduction in resistance.
ASV Mono SM model tests confirm expectations
Effect Ships International (ESI) in Norway completed tank testing of its “soft motion” monohull Air Supported Vessel (ASV) or ASV Mono SM, which it believes is equally suitable for use as a fast naval vessel or as a ferry. A week of testing took place in the end of 2012 at SSPA´s towing tank in Sweden. An article was published at Warship Technology, a publication of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects.