Introduction

Abstract

Submarines are very specialised vehicles, and their design is extremely complex. This book deals with only the hydrodynamics aspects of submarines, and a knowledge of ship hydrodynamics is assumed. The principles of submarine geometry are outlined in this chapter, covering those terms which are not common to naval architecture, such as: axisymmetric hull; sailSail; aft bodyAft body; fore bodyFore body; control surfaces; casingCasing; and propulsorPropulsor. Over the years a number of different unclassified submarine geometries have been developed to enable organisations to benchmark results of their hydrodynamics studies in the open literature. These geometries have also been used to provide initial input to the design of new submarine shapes. A summary of some of the more widely used geometries is given, along with references to enable the reader to obtain further information as required.