Cost savings for warships using the reconfigurable hull form concept

Many warships are required to operate over two distinct speed ranges, which gives the naval architect quite a challenge when it comes to optimising the design. It is widely accepted that a single set of prime movers will not be able to efficiently cope with the vastly differing power requirements for these two speed ranges, and hence warships are often fitted with two sets of prime movers for this purpose. On the other hand, it is also obvious that a single hull form can not be optimised for these two distinct speed ranges. Earlier work (Renilson et ai, 2006) demonstrated possible modifications to the hull that could be made to improve efficiency at the two distinct speeds. The most promising modifications identified from this work were changes in the stern shape, and the propulsion type. This paper focuses on these modifications, and discusses possible practical arrangements to achieve the changes necessary, along with estimated fuel savings as a function of vessel speed profile. It is concluded that considerable fuel savings are possible, and that this concept warrants further consideration in order to reduce the through life cost of warship operation,