JMEC-01 and her crew of technical elite snuck into Oyster Bay under cover of broad daylight. It is said that the best place to hide something of value is often in public view, and for the past few weeks JMEC-01, an ungainly acronym that is short for "Joint Multi-mission Expeditionary Craft," has been nestled unobtrusively in a slip amongst the expensive yachts, cruisers and workboats at the Oyster Bay Marine Center. When asked in a conspiratorial tone about the menacingly strange looking craft and its apparent, "super-secret" mission, Marine Center general manager John McGrane smiled and said, "What super secret mission?" and then proceeded to spill the beans.

McGrane said, "The boat is one-of-a-kind. Engineers from Northrop Grumman and Telephonics here on the Island have been going over her regularly. The Grumman people are a straight shot down Route 106 in Bethpage and it's easy for them to get from there to here and into the city by water. We've had quite a few inquiries about that boat."

And what a boat it is.

Charcoal gray, 41 feet long, and looking something like a cross between an old-time oyster dredge and a WWII landing craft, it is what automobile buffs might call, "a sleeper." Taking a cue from Carroll Shelby, who once shoe-horned a Ford V8 into a stodgy British aluminum sports car to create the Shelby Cobra, JMEC-01 contains 1,080 Horsepower generated by twin Cummins QSC 8.3-liter 540 HP turbocharged diesel engines that have been dropped into its aluminum hulled body. Propulsion and direction come in the form of water jets that pivot beneath the boat. The jets are designed to allow maneuverability into waters as shallow as 28 inches. Controlled by an aircraft-style joystick rather than the traditional captain's wheel, the result is a 10-ton vehicle that behaves like a Jet Ski. Top cruise speed is officially listed as greater than 40kts (46mph), and it has been reported at speeds of up to 44kts (50 mph).

Further belying the simple workboat exterior, advanced electronics at four workstations enable the super-agile craft to act as a command and control center, not just as a basic responding vehicle. This means it is designed to coordinate activity both on land and on the water. This has military, Homeland Security, and emergency/humanitarian implications.

In the Oyster Bay area alone, we have had two instances in recent memory when such a craft might have been beneficial. In 1992, a nor'easter flooded Bayville and the National Guard was called out. Residents had to be evacuated and supplies had to be brought in. Two years earlier there had been an airliner crash, Avianca, where the one road in and out of Cove Neck became virtually impassible. In both cases beaches were accessible.

According to Northrop Grumman systems engineer Michael Moore, intelligence coordination on the JMEC boat docked here in Oyster Bay is accomplished through a variety of military and civilian systems that include UHF SatCom antennas for satellite relayed information; electro-optical/infrared and radar sensors with a 360-degree field of view; AIS, an Automatic Integration System that most big ships now have, to positively identify shipping traffic; and a specialized onboard Integrated Communication System by Gentex-Telephonics that allows crewmembers to receive information through their normal headsets up to a quarter of a mile away. Said Moore, "When we're out on the water, we are connected through a network with, for example, Blue Force Tracking Software (an emerging standard that identifies troop locations and helps reduce friendly fire incidents) to know where we are and where other, 'friendlies' are." Pointing to the mast at the stern of the craft, Moore continued, "Those two antennas are called Rover antennas. Rover is a data link that connects to data coming from unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and their sensors, for example streaming video or still images, and these can be displayed on monitors. We are connected to the Internet and run the clients (onboard computers) in real time aboard the boat."

The prototype in Oyster Bay was constructed in response to an official Navy Request For Information (RFI) in mid-2006 about emerging needs for small military, coastal, and Homeland Security craft. The Navy's Request for Information follows on the heels of a newly formed Riverine force that has had success in quelling insurgents that have been hiding out on islands in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq. Craft being used today are old designs, some reportedly still from the Vietnam era. They are minimally armored, and can benefit greatly from improved communications.

Northrop Grumman director of Maritime and Tactical Systems Integration, Joseph Wilkers, indicated that the company, which builds large ships, had independently been evaluating small-craft needs for some time. When the RFI came they were able to react quickly. Rather than return a theoretical written commentary to the Navy's Request for Information, the group in Bethpage partnered with a small Washington state company to create something tangible. JMEC-01 was built in a short nine months from handshake to "splash." This meant many 10-hour or longer days for her engineers and builders.

JMEC-01 is a high technology demonstrator jointly funded in a partnership between Aluminum Chambered Boats of Bellingham, Washington, and Northrop Grumman. There is no government aid and there is no promise of any follow-on contract. Aluminum Chambered Boats provided the hull and structure, and Northrop Grumman provided the sophisticated electronic communications and warfare systems. It is a proposal intended to show that the two companies are serious about filling these emerging needs, and that they have the capabilities to do so.

Wilkers emphasized that the craft's layout is a test bed and that the configuration is a suggestion. For example, it was built with a beam (width) of only 10 feet so that it can be trailered across country without an overwide escort. As a result, normally high gunnels (ships walls) that protect crew were lowered in several areas because of the narrower width. It is also shown in an open and uncovered layout even though it is known that as a troop carrier more protection can be afforded if it is enclosed. Company literature lists at least five different potential variants.

Wilkers said that one of the craft's intended uses is in a Katrina or, "Katrina - II" type of incident. To that end JMEC-01 participated in a series of exercises near the Throgs Neck Bridge at SUNY Maritime College code-named, "Trojan Horse." One of these exercises was a scenario in which JMEC successfully coordinated a water evacuation of Long Island presuming that the bridges and tunnels had become impassable. Students of the Merchant Marine Academy volunteered as "evacuees." As a result of the experience Wilkers commented, "We really look forward to working with SUNY Maritime College, at Fort Schuyler, to explore the opportunities to work port and maritime security with New York State. We see a great potential for a family of systems approach to the whole Riverine/Homeland Security problem."

Company excursions have shown JMEC's speed and maneuverability, the SUNY Maritime exercise demonstrated command and control, but the Enterprise Pilot wanted to see how the craft might perform under local conditions in an emergency. Envisioned was a more basic and personal scenario: A hurricane, or nor'easter, causes damage and strands residents either in Bayville, Centre Island or Cove Neck. Residents need water, supplies and/or transport and this requires a beach landing, something not depicted in any company literature.

Front deck payload for this small prototype was given at 7,500 lbs. That means JMEC could transport a National Guard water trailer somewhere in the range of 500 gallons rather comfortably in the aftermath of a hurricane or nor'easter.

Now, could it get to a shore during the worst conditions of a low tide?

Arriving back at the dock in Oyster Bay after a long day in the city, JMEC-01 and her crew met the Enterprise Pilot in the early evening. The crew of four consisted of Scott Clanton, a retired Marine and East Coast sales manager for Aluminum Chambered Boats who piloted the vessel; lead engineer Mark Goldberg; systems engineer Michael Moore; and mission system operator Andrew Hurst, the latter three all from Northrop Grumman.

Grinning, they took this reporter out for more than just a shore landing. Out in Cold Spring Harbor, they "opened 'er up." Tight turns. Instant stops and reversals that sent waves brilliantly cascading over the bow in the evening light. There was even a brief chase by a curious helicopter.

By comparison, the beach landing was uneventful. A sandy undeveloped stretch on the northeast side of Centre Island that is normally home only to stands of rosa ragusa (Beach Roses), seagulls, and mating horseshoe crabs, was selected. Once owned by an associate of Rockefeller, it had in the late 1800s been part of a large estate called Eastover. A lone and startled bayman digging steamers on a nearby sandbar was the only activity. The thought briefly entered this reporter's mind to have JMEC pull up to the bayman's boat and request to see his shellfishing license, but good sense and discretion got the better part of a humor that might not have been appreciated. We let him be.

We made our approach next to the sandbar over a flat underwater area that was slightly more than 3 feet in depth. The JMEC prototype glided into shore. Lead engineer Mark Goldberg pressed a button on the side gunnels and the front of the boat lowered on to dry sand. Success!

When told later about the tongue-in-cheek "invasion" and subsequent "evacuation" of Eastover Beach by JMEC, Eastover Association director Stephen Murphy laughed and said, "Well, at least it's on our side. Every beach should be so well-protected."

On the return trip the engineers demonstrated the effectiveness of night vision. Using the infrared monitor, details of the Oyster Docks and the Commander Oil tanks were clear and visible from out in the mooring area. It was explained that heat signatures of vehicles or individuals could be photographed and sent in real time to respondents on shore had there been a genuine emergency.

JMEC is not the first Grumman prototype that Oyster Bay has seen. Grumman developed a hydrofoil named The Dennison that was launched at Jakobson Shipyard in June of 1962. Project offices were on the second floor of the old Goodyear building on Berry Hill Road. In June of 1963 The Dennison made a record run from Oyster Bay to Newport, R.I., a distance of 110 nautical miles in 2.0 hours. Additionally, every Shuttle Orbiter wing has made the trip from Bethpage down Route 106 and out from the Oyster Docks before going into space.