Faced with near-bankruptcy in 2302, Terra’s Windancer Marine Technologies took a wild gamble on a new hydrofoil frame designed by the eccentric naval architect Tyler Raymonds. Constructed of an extremely strong polymer composite, the thin wings were able to maintain a high speed during heavy gales without warping or snapping. Windancer put every conceivable asset on the line and partnered with the Tadaki Company (a private venture capital firm based out of Japan) to produce a working prototype. When the Silverfin returned from a widely-broadcast two-day journey into and out of a Class 3 Typhoon in the Sea of Japan, the corporate executives knew the company was saved.

         The Silverfin-class of cutters has changed little over the intervening centuries. The only major changes are the newer torpedo launchers installed in 2423 and a complete overhaul of the cutter’s communications suite every fifty years. Though the HUNTER suite’s electronics have changed little, the harsh vibrations from constant use of the foils as well as the continual corrosion of salt-heavy seas usually degrade the HUNTER’s performance.
         Armed with a SarLon MaxiCannon Class 5 rotary machine gun-designed for maritime use-and a Sky Raven torpedo launching system, the Silverfin can easily put down a pirate gunboat with few problems. For heavier ships, those coastal guardsmen units with several Silverfins have found that working in packs enables their quicker ships to overwhelm most armored vessels-and light BattleMechs-with swarms of torpedo salvos.

         Almost every water-rich world in the Human Sphere has a Silverfin-or a locally produced copy-assigned to their coast guard or planetary militia. The hydrofoil’s quick speed and hardier endurance allows the design to patrol important sea and river approaches in case of a surprise naval assault. ComStar of course makes heavy use of the design to patrol the sea lanes around island bases that they maintain.