THE AUSTRALIAN NAVAL ARCHITECT Volume 22 Number 4 November 2018 Night flying trials with F-35B Lightning fighter jets have been conducted during October fof the United Kingdom’s largest warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth. The new carrier has been fitted out with specially-designed LED lightning on her flight deck to aid night-time landings. During the trials, conducted off the east coast of the United States, pilots initially used only ambient light and the lights on the carrier’s deck, before later conducting landings using the night-vision capability in their helmets. HMS Queen Elizabeth is on track to deploy on global operations from 2021 (Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin) THE AUSTRALIAN NAVAL ARCHITECT Journal of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (Australian Division) Volume 22 Number 4 November 2018 Cover Photo: CONTENTS Ready for launching — the Austal-built Auto Express 109 m high-speed vehicle/passenger 2 From the Division President ferry Express 4 for Molslinjen of Denmark was 4 Editorial launched on 29 October 6 Coming Events (Photo courtesy Austal) 7 News from the Sections The Australian Naval Architect is published four times per year. All correspondence and advertising copy should be 15 Classification Society News sent to: 15 From the Crows Nest The Editor The Australian Naval Architect 16 General News c/o RINA PO Box No. 462 29 Trials of Spirit of Australia 2 — Martin Grimm Jamison Centre, ACT 2614 31 Should Nuclear-powered Submarines be AUSTRALIA email: [email protected] part of Australia’s Future? — Peter Briggs The deadline for the next edition of The Australian Na- 32 Sailing Catamaran Performance Metrics — val Architect (Vol. 23 No. 1, February 2019) is Friday Kim Klaka 25 January 2019. Articles and reports published in The Australian Naval 36 Education News Architect reflect the views of the individuals who prepared them and, unless indicated expressly in the text, do not neces- 40 Industry News sarily represent the views of the Institution. The Institution, 49 The Profession its officers and members make no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or 50 Time and Tide correctness of information in articles or reports and accept no responsibility for any loss, damage or other liability 51 Membership arising from any use of this publication or the information 52 Naval Architects on the Move which it contains. 53 From the Archives The Australian Naval Architect ISSN 1441-0125 © Royal Institution of Naval Architects 2018 Editor in Chief: John Jeremy AM RINA Australian Division Technical Editor: Phil Helmore on the Print Post Approved PP 606811/00009 World Wide Web Printed by Focus Print Group www.rina.org.uk/aust November 2018 1 From the Division President Welcome to another great edition of The Australian Naval Architect. As usual, it is full of very interesting information for us in the field, and we are really fortunate in Australia to have this superb publication. I have mentioned in this column before that the Institution is conducting a strategic review, and that one of the working groups is looking at the publication policy. This is considering enabling the exchange of technical information through the Institution’s publications, conferences and local meetings, including: • scope, structure and delivery of conferences, workshops and seminars; • scope and structure of publications; and • how information is disseminated — printed, digital, online, social media, etc. — for future needs and expectations of the membership. There is certainly a strong trend in general to move more and more to short snippets of information delivered electronically in a frequent manner. I personally get quite a number of such electronic newsletters, and find that I Martin Renilson don’t always have the time to read all the information that is coming to me — all for free! However, I’m not really The Institution is also conducting a strategic review sure that this is the sort of thing that the Institution should of how to best increase the internationalisation of the be moving towards. Council. Australian Division members may not be aware We ought to be concentrating on more in-depth stories, that it is now possible for Council members to attend the including technical articles. However, there is now also quite International Council meetings without being present in a large number of peer-reviewed journals in our field, and it is London. Until recently the technology for doing this has not straightforward to see what the Institution’s niche should not been wonderful; however, the Chief Executive is putting be. Many years ago we held the Spring Meetings in London considerable effort into improving the electronic conference every year. These were well attended, and papers presented facilities, so this will be a lot better in the future. there were at the pinnacle of our profession. The discussions, As President of the Australian Division, I am an ex-officio and authors’ replies, were recorded and all reproduced in member of the International Council, so I attend most of the annual Transactions — a nice blue-covered volume. I them by teleconference (although I do manage to get to recommend that people to read through some of these old them when I am in the UK). Our Secretary, Rob Gehling, papers, along with the discussions. Some of them are quite used to be a member in his own right; however, his term interesting, and one can imagine the discussions going on at has expired. I recommend that members of the Australian the Spring Meetings — but things have moved on. Division consider nominating for Council, so that we can I’m very interested in any thoughts regarding the direction achieve a good representation for Australia. Members who of the Institution’s publications which members may have. may be interested could contact either Rob Gehling or This is a very fast moving field, and I’m perhaps a bit out myself for further information about how to nominate, and of my depth regarding the latest electronic communication what the role entails. technologies, On that note, members of the Australian Division who are There is also the question about the future of conferences, interested in joining the Australian Division Council should and how the Institution should handle these. There are so be aware that nominations will be due by 21 December — many these days, a lot of which are regular events every two see the information about this elsewhere in this edition. or three years, often run by academics primarily designed Again, if you are interested in putting your name forward, for other academics and researchers in their field. Most of please feel free to contact either me or Rob Gehling for the papers at these are deep technical ones in specific areas. further information. The Australian Division is only as good There also seems to be an increasing number of conferences as those on the Council can make it! run by commercial conference-organising companies. In I recently attended the Final Year Research Project these cases some of the papers are just advertorials for the Conference at AMC. There were about 90 papers arranged presenters’ companies. However, often they are useful into six parallel sessions. I couldn’t attend all of them, but networking events, particularly when held in conjunction those that I did were generally impressive. This is all the with an exhibition. more so when you consider that a large number of these Again, it is not clear to me what the Institution’s role students are from overseas and English is not their first regarding conferences should be into the future, and I’d language. certainly appreciate your thoughts on that role. Equally impressive was the fact that over 30 external people The Australian Naval Architect 2 from the maritime industry came to assist with the assessing. Drobyshevski on [email protected] if you would like Of course, most of them were from outside Tasmania, and any further details, or are able to assist. those that I spoke to were impressed with the quality of the There has been a lot of criticism in the press recently students. I know that some were there touting for future staff. about foreign students coming to Australia and learning Eric Gubesch was awarded the prize for best presentation our technologies which they can adapt to improve their which was sponsored by the RINA Tasmanian Section and country’s defence capabilities when they return home. AMSA. There is more information about this elsewhere in I wonder whether the negative aspect of this is really this edition. Students and graduates are the future of our somewhat over exaggerated. I’d like to think that the very profession and it was really great to see such enthusiasm. sensitive technologies are kept well and truly under lock and Readers will be aware that the decision regarding the key (including from Australian students with no security design of the future frigate for Australia, SEA 5000, has clearance), and presumably this is being monitored by DST been made and that the Commonwealth Government has Group when it is partnering with a university. chosen the British BAE design over its competitors. The Of course, the universities argue that they need to have Australian version is to be known as the Hunter Class. What these foreign students to generate the income necessary to is interesting is that, subsequent to the Australian decision, run their program. I don’t want to get into arguments about the Canadian Government also chose the same design for funding levels at Australian universities, but I see a far more its new frigate. important benefit to Australia by allowing these students to Discussions continue regarding Australia’s future submarine.