Producibility in U.S. Navy Ship Design

Abstract

Recent NAVSEA studies of a twin-skeg hull form design applied to a T-AO type ship indicated many areas of possible improvement in producibility. This paper reviews the findings of producibility studies and attempts to indicate specific areas where an improvement in producibility and attendant cost savings for Navy ships are possible without any degradation in ship performance and survivability. Most available studies on producibility have an inherent trait of elaborating on details of shipyard producibility. This paper attempts to confine itself to the producibility aspect of the design phase, ending with the completion of contract design. It was determined that the concept of the producible, designed-to-build ship was worth further investigation for incorporation into future designs because of potential cost savings. The paper concludes with recommendations for a method of application of producibility to the Navy ship design process for MSC-operated T-ships.