Rudder Roll Stabilization: The Dutch Solution

Abstract

Recently, the Dutch company Van Rietschoten & Houwens developed a rudder roll stabilization (RRS) autopilot in close cooperation with the Delft University of Technology and the Royal Netherlands Navy. This autopilot uses the rudder not only to control the heading of a ship but to reduce the roll motions simultaneously. Concurrently with the design of the autopilot, research concerning the design of a ship and its steering gear was carried out in cooperation with the Maritime Research Institute, Netherlands, the Royal Schelde, the Royal Netherlands Navy and Ross Industry to improve the potential effectiveness of an RRS system. This paper describes the final results of this research. From the point of view of control, it specifies several general requirements for the design of a ship, its steering gear and its RRS autopilot. It is demonstrated that a successful application of an RRS system cannot be obtained unless these requirements are met. In addition, it discusses the first practical realization of an RRS autopilot to be installed on board the new M-class frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy.