THE UNITED STATES NAVY'S STRATEGIC SEALIFT SHIPS - USING SIMULATION TO EVALUATE DESIGN ALTERNATIVES

The US Navy established requirements for a new class of ro/ro ships to transport military equipment. A competitive process was followed, during which shipyards prepared designs to the Navy's requirements. Detail design and construction contracts have been awarded as a result of this process. Simulation (visualization) techniques were used to verify requirements, to evaluate alternative designs, and to confirm that specific requirements were met. This paper summarized the simulations used and discusses the potential for future applications.