EVENT DESCRIPTION
Please join the Arctic Section for our April Technical Meeting! We will be hearing from SNAME Fellow, Peter Noble who will be presenting, "Denny Shipyard – A History of Innovation from the “Cutty Sark” to Surface Effects Ships".
There probably was shipbuilding along the River Leven in Dumbarton, Scotland as early as the 15th century. Denny Bros, the most famous of these yards was established in 1844, and over 1500 ships were built there between 1844 and its closure in 1963.
Amongst other innovations, the company built the world's first turbine passenger steamer in 1901 and built two Americas Cup racing yachts. Always innovators, the yard was responsible for a number of firsts including being the first commercial yard to build and use its own Ship Model Experiment Tank (now part of the Scottish Maritime Museum) to refine the design of its ships and better predict power and speed. Denny became expert in their field which centered around ferry design and construction for the global market aided by the use of this tank.
As the author studied the history of ships designed and built by Denny, he became aware that the shipyard successfully espoused a “continuous experimentation” process and designed and built many ships that were the first to use specific advances in technology, such as modular construction, steel-hulls, surface propellers, diesel-electric propulsion, air cushion lift etc.
Unlike the scientific method where experiments are designed to confirm or disprove a proposed hypothesis, this engineering experimentation was carried out in parallel to, and embedded with, the design and production of real products which in themselves were being designed to fulfill the current owners requirements as best could be done with current knowledge, tools, budgets and schedules.
Wm. Denny and Brothers gave us sound examples of how creative and innovative engineers can improve the design, construction and operation of ships. This demanded not only a capacity to handle the risk and uncertainty of introducing new technology, but also an ability to gain the trust of their customers that they could deliver what they said they could do.
We can learn from this to better understand the nature of prototype development and continuous experimentation in advancing our art and craft of designing and engineering for the marine environment.
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SPEAKER/PRESENTER
Peter Noble
SNAME Fellow, Marine, Offshore & Arctic Technology Advisors, Noble Associates Inc.
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