High speed surface craft and submersible vehicle

A submersible vessel comprising:

• an elongated hull;
• at least one propeller mounted on a forward end of said hull and adapted to move said hull through water;
• said at least one propeller being of a size and configuration such that when it is rotated at an appropriate speed, it generates supercavitated water flowing from said at least one propeller and thence along an outer surface of said hull so as to diminish friction on the outer surface of said hull and facilitate high underwater speeds;
• wherein the submersible vehicle comprises an unmanned submersible craft;
• and
• wherein the hull comprises a tail cone having sensors therein, and further wherein the submersible vessel is configured to reposition itself from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation so that said tail cone projects above the surface of the water.

A method for moving through water, the method comprising:

• providing a vessel comprising:
• an elongated hull;
• at least one unshrouded propeller mounted on the forwardmost portion of said hull and adapted to move said hull through water;
• said at least one unshrouded propeller being exposed on all sides to water and being of a size and configuration such that when said at least one unshrouded propeller is rotated at an appropriate speed, said at least one unshrouded propeller generates supercavitated water flowing from said at least one unshrouded propeller and thence along an outer surface of said hull so as to diminish friction on the outer surface of said hull and facilitate high speeds;
• submerging at least a portion of the elongated hull;
• and
• rotating the at least one unshrouded propeller so as to move the vessel through water.