Earmarking FutureTech in Hawaii

Herbert A. Sample of the Associated Press has been looking into Sen. Daniel Inouye's (D-Hawaii) earmarks, and has an impressive list on display. This one in particular stands out:

Pacific Marine/Navatek Ltd., Honolulu: $2.2 million to build model of amphibious vehicle.

Like them or not, earmarks are a part of Congress not going away. They aren't always bad, but they don't always make sense either. I'm going to have a tough time complaining too much about this one though, because to me, this is a case where Sen. Daniel Inouye is putting up the money to build something way outside the box. It is for Navatek's version of the T-Craft, which ONR did not accept in phase II. From the February 20, 2024 Honolulu Advertiser:

"If our preliminary $2 million design is accepted, we move to phase two where we would receive an additional $10 million to produce and model-test a detailed design of the ship," said Navatek President Steven Loui in a written statement. "If awarded the phase three work, Navatek will receive an estimated $150 million to design, build and test a 350-foot prototype craft."

It was not accepted in phase two, but it is certainly one of the most interesting designs for amphibious ship to shore connectors presented in some time. The $2.2 million earmark is to build a half-scale model of the Navatek T-Craft version. Good or bad, it is certainly interesting.

It should be noted that Navatek has produced interesting new designs for the Navy in the past. It was only a few years ago they built Sea Flyer.