Air cushion vehicle having volute side thrusters

An air cushion vehicle having a centerline and a center of gravity, said vehicle comprising a hull section having a deck, a peripheral air cushion seal means attached to said hull section and depending therefrom to form an enclosed air cushion compartment beneath the hull section, air volute means for inflating said air cushion seal means and for pressurizing said air cushion compartment, at least one of said air volute means comprising a volute housing located above the deck along the centerline of the vehicle, said volute housing having opposed portside and starboard side walls, air-inlet openings in said walls for admitting a flow of pressurizing air sucked in by air volute means therewithin, an air outlet opening through said hull section and a lower diffusion duct communicating between the air outlet openings of said volute housing and said air cushion seal means for directing pressurizing air to said seal means and to the air cushion compartment beneath the hull section, the opposed portside and starboard side walls of the volute housing each having a normally-closed air-discharge vent, means for opening either or both of said vents to permit a portion of the flow of pressurizing air to be diverted and discharged from said volute housing as volute housing discharge air through said vents towards port or starboard direction, from a location above the center of gravity of said vehicle, to cause the vehicle to roll in a roll direction opposite to the direction of discharge whereby pressurized air can escape from beneath the air cushion seal means in the direction opposite the roll direction, said air escape and said volute housing discharge air imparting a complimentary thrust to the vehicle in the roll direction.