JHSS (Joint High-Speed Sealift Ship) Hull Form Development, Test and　Evaluation

摘要

The U.S. Navy currently is studying a new generation high-speed sealift ship under the JHSS (Joint High-Speed Sealift Ship) program. The ship was originally envisioned to be a PANMAX design but with a relatively shallow draft of 7.92m so that port access would not be restricted. It has a payload requirement of 5,000 tons and a threshold design speed of 36 knots but with a goal of 39 knots. The ship is also required to have a long endurance range of 8,000 to 10,000 nm at its design speed. The JHSS program had NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command) conducted an Indicative Design. In 2005, the Future Ship Concepts Branch of the Carderock Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWCCD) was tasked to design the hull for this indicative design and the Test and Evaluation Branch was responsible for model testing. Subsequently the Office of Naval Research (ONR) decided to use the JHSS model hull(s) as the platforms for their waterjet investigations. After numerous design iterations, the principal dimensions of the JHSS hull were relaxed, and PANMAX was no longer a constraint. The draft was increased to approximately 8.8m. Other design constraints for the JHSS are the maximum output of the main propulsion engines and waterjets (limit of four), which have to be realistic choices that include future development. All these design constraints were extremely challenging. This resulted in numerous hull forms, bulbous bows, and stern flap configurations being designed, tested, and evaluated. Currently the design is approximately 300m in length overall, 32m in beam, and weighs 37,000 metric tons in the design condition. This paper focuses on the hull form development and resistance test data evaluation. The findings of this series of tests are extremely encouraging for large, high-speed vessels.