Yamato 1
The Yamato 1 is a boat built in the early 1990s by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd at Wadasaki-cho Hyogo-ku, Kobe. It uses magnetohydrodynamic drives (MHDs) driven by liquid helium-cooled superconductors and can travel at 15 km/h (8 knots).
The Yamato 1 was the first working prototype of its kind. It was completed in Japan in 1991, by the Ship & Ocean Foundation (later known as the Ocean Policy Research Foundation). The ship, which includes two MHD thrusters, which have no moving parts, was first successfully operated in Kobe harbour in June 1992.
An MHD works by applying a magnetic field to an electrically conducting fluid. The electrically conducting fluid used in the MHD thrusters of the Yamato 1 is seawater.
In the 1990s, Mitsubishi built several prototypes of ships propelled by MHD systems. Despite projected higher speeds, these ships were only able to reach speeds of 15 km/h.
Today the Yamato 1 is on display at the Kobe Maritime Museum.
References
- Operation of the Thruster for Superconducting Electromagnetohydrodynamic propulsion Ship "YAMATO 1"
- HTML Link of same article
Further reading
- Yohei Sasakawa: Yamato-1 - the world's first superconducting MHD propulsion ship. Ship & Ocean Foundation, Tokyo 1997, ISBN 4-916148-02-9
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yamato 1. |
- Magnetohydrodynamic and the Mitsubishi Yamato
- Popular Science November 1992 Superconductivity Goes To Sea
- Popular Mechanics August 1990 100 MPH Jet Ships
- Ship Sails on High-Tech, `Silent' Drive The Washington Post, June,17, 1992;
- Japanese Ship's Magnetic Attraction; Revolutionary Drive Design Lacks Moving Parts The Washington Post, June, 22, 1992
Coordinates: 34°40′56.38″N 135°11′15.82″E / 34.6823278°N 135.1877278°E