After the Exodus era, the wet navy all but vanished. Each newly colonized planet had only one government, and so had no need to build a wet navy to sink another government's wet navy. Nor could a colony world hide behind an ocean when invaded from space.
         Some military missions did still remain for wet navies, however, even on planets with single governments. Counter-insurgency operations on a planet's waterways and the control of civilian shipping were still functions on worlds whose populations were rebellious. To carry out such operations, the military generally used conventional land hovercraft supplemented by armed commercial vessels, rather than expensive, specially designed military vessels.
         It would be surprising to find such a specially designed military hydrofoil on a planet where no active rebellion exists. The exception was the planet Skye in the Lyran Commonwealth. Its military hydrofoils were part of a reserve unit commanded (and paid for) by rich young men who wished to avoid the draft and to wear fancy military uniforms at social functions.
         In 2867, a group of young Lyrans of military age (most the offspring of prominent Social Generals) approached the LCAF with a proposal. As the Archon had invoked the Military Disaster Act, they expected to be drafted into the LCAF as expensive cannon fodder. Wouldn't it be better, they asked, for them to form their own military unit, equipped, maintained, and paid for with their own resources? All that they asked in return was that the unit be incorporated into the Skye militia, and be allowed to equip itself as the group saw fit. With more than a little prodding from some highly placed civilians, the LCAF relented and authorized the group to form the 348th Reserve Detachment of the Skye Militia. At worst, the LCAF commanders assumed that they would be getting a free platoon of lightly armed infantry.
         They were wrong. Most of the young people belonged to the New Glasgow Yacht Club, and they contracted with Skye Pleasure Craft Ltd. to build twelve armed hydrofoils for the 348th. Thus, three months later, the members of the 348th could be seen "patrolling" the lakes and rivers around New Glasgow. They were resplendent in their dark blue and gold uniforms, and were usually accompanied by pleasure-loving civilians, as they did their "duty" for the honor of Skye.

         The Sea Skimmer is a standard hydrofoil craft. It utilizes a standard displacement hull, on which are mounted three wings, or foils, one on the bow, and one each on the port and starboard sides of the hull. These foils retract into the hull for low-speed operations or when the Sea Skimmer is operating in depths of less than 1 meter. At high speed, the foils are lowered, which lifts the hull up out of the water, thus reducing overall drag and allowing the Sea Skimmer to achieve speeds in excess of 190 kph.
         Its primary weapon system is a Coventry 4-Tube Missile System, which is located in a turret providing a 360degree field of fire. BrowningSperry machine guns provide close-in protection to the ship's sides and stern.

         For 28 years, the 348th Reserve Detachment of the Skye Militia kept the rivers and lakes near New Glasgow free from the oppression of the Draconis Combine. With the Combine nowhere near Skye at this time, the mission was not so hard to accomplish. Once a week, the Detachment would assemble at the yacht club, take "vital supplies" and "civilian observers" on board, and go off on maneuvers for the day.
         All that changed in 2895 when Combine forces jumped into the Skye system. Skye had been reinforced by two 'Mech regiments and twelve infantry and armor regiments. The reserves were mobilized, and the 348th was sent to support the troops holding the city of Inverness in the Mantty River Delta. Contrary to all expectations, the 348th acquitted themselves well in their swift Sea Skimmers. They used the delta as a highway through the Kurita lines, running raiding parties back and forth. They also provided many hard-pressed infantry units with needed fire support in the delta's swamps.
         In an even more noteworthy example, Sea Skimmers were used to deploy a tactical nuclear device that halted a Kurita thrust. A battalion of Kurita 'Mechs had broken through the lines and was advancing over the flood plains toward Inverness. The Skye defenders had nothing left to stop them. All defending aircraft had been shot down weeks before, and there were no more functional artillery pieces. The 348th was the only reserve force left, and it had only two operational Sea Skimmers.
         The commander of the Inverness garrison made a desperate decision. Contrary to the rules of war, he decided to use a nuclear device to stop the Kurita 'Mechs. The Mantty River was at flood level, held back from inundating the surrounding farm land only by a dam ten kilometers behind what were now the Combine front lines. The last two Sea Skimmers were each loaded with a one-kiloton nuclear demolition charge and ordered to destroy the dam.
         At first, the dash up the river was easy. As the Sea Skimmers streaked by at 190 kph, the startled Kurita troops had no time to react before the vessels went out of range. As the skimmers approached the dam, however, a Kurita Locust and a Stinger blocked their path. Both skippers were experienced veterans by now and immediately began evasive maneuvers. Each let go a salvo of short-range missiles aimed at the Stinger. It staggered under the impact and fell into the river. The Sea Skimmers dashed through the opening, taking some hits form the Locust's laser, but they were still able to function. Suddenly, the rear Sea Skimmer was lifted out of the water as the downed Stinger rose. The Stinger was knocked down again, never to rise up, but that second Sea Skimmer had its foils sheared off and its hull punctured. The Locust moved in to finish it off, as the first Sea Skimmer sped for the dam.
         With the Locust trailing far behind, the Sea Skimmer approached the dam. Kurita infantry had taken control of it, and were now throwing everything they had at the speeding hydrofoil. Some weapons hit, but not enough to stop it. Seconds later, the infantry, the dam, and the last remnant of the 348th vanished in a nuclear fireball.