Robert S. Dean · 17 June 1993
Terra/Solomani Rim, 167-1993(Old style):
In a special press conference today, veteran naval architect Robert
Dean was pleased to announce the completion of the prototype of his latest
design. He modestly gave most of the credit to his wife, Margaret, who
collaborated closely with him on the nine-month project. "We're calling
this one William Stewart Dean", he said, "and at 7 lbs 14 oz, I realize
it's a lot smaller than some of my previous work, such as the Atlantis class
battleship. In fact, it's only 20" long along the primary axis, and the
suspension and power train system seems to be subject to a great deal of
random motion at the moment, but we expect that will improve as the design
matures."
Other industry leaders declined to comment on the new design, except
to suggest that it wasn't going to replace the air/raft anytime soon.