Page 34 - Practical Ship Design

Introduction, Methods and Datu 5

1.1.4 Transfer of technology between ship types

It is perhaps obvious that a design for a particular type of ship can most readily be
prepared by a naval architect who has recently designed a successful ship of that
type. From such a background of experience, a competent design can be confidently
expected, but there must be a probability that the new design will closely follow the
trends of recent designs and is unlikely to include much innovative thought.
On the other hand, a naval architect experienced in designing a wide variety of
ships, but laclung detailed up-to-date knowledge of the particular type, will have a
harder task as he will have to start by studying magazine articles etc. about recently
built ships of the type to acquire the necessary background knowledge. Once he
has gained this background he may, however, go on to produce a more innovative
design, possibly bringing into play ideas used in other ship types which can be
adapted to the ship type on which he is working.
Unfortunately for naval architects, the tendency today is for shipyards, and to a
lesser extent shipping companies, to specialise in one (or at most a very few) ship
types, reducing the range of experience which used to be common in the versatile
shipyards of some decades ago.

1.1.5 The author’s design experience
The author was lucky to have the opportunity of gaining a particularly wide range
of experience and would like to use this book to share this with his readers. The
shipyard in which he spent the first half of his career built passenger liners,
cross-channel passenger, car and train ferries, refrigerated and general cargo ships,
bulk carriers, oil tankers, many dredger types, logistic support landing ships,
frigates and destroyers, and he was deeply involved in the design of all of these
except the warships. As consultants, the firm was also involved in the design of
some of the earliest stern trawlers and fish factory ships, and of the first generation
container ships.
In the second half of his career, the author joined a major firm of consultants
which under his direction designed another wide assortment of merchant ships and
warships. The merchant ships included cargo liners, container ships, bulk carriers,
sewage-disposal ships, fishery research vessels, hydrographic and oceanographic
research ships, fishing boats.
The warships and naval auxiliary vessels included aircraft and helicopter
carriers, frigates, corvettes, mine hunters, landing ship docks, logistic support
ships, fleet auxiliary combined oil tanker and store ships.
Some of these ships feature in Chapter 16, in which the general arrangements of
a number of ship types are examined. Other ships featuring in this chapter have
been selected as representing good recent practice.