November 2003

This publication presents the methods for the design of ships' structures. These methods are applicable to any medium or large vessel designed by direct calculation, as well as to the warship hulls on which the book was originally based, as these are invariably designed without recourse to classification society rules. Taking as its starting point an assumed functional specification, it shows how a structure can be created to meet this requirement.

In this book, the four authors show us the condensed experience how to design ship hull structures from a practical viewpoint. In three parts, the book presents the fundamentals, the theory and the application of structural design of hulls. The topics are treated comprehensively with an emphasis on how to achieve reliable and efficient ship structures. The authors have in particular introduced their experiences with the rapid increase of ship sizes as well as the introduction of ship types with a high degree of specialization. The associated early failures of these "new" structures have been analyzed to provide the readers with illustrations why structural design needs to be carried out on several levels in order to ensure that correct loading is applied and that local structural behaviour in properly understood.