Lifting Body Ships - Overview

Through its work on advanced hull forms for the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), Navatek has helped develop advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software and has become a world leader in the design, construction and testing of underwater lifting bodies. These lifting bodies can improve the performance of a broad range of conventional hull forms – including monohulls, catamarans and trimarans providing a superior ride in all seas, all headings and all speeds (including zero/loiter to maximum speed); higher transport efficiency at all speeds; and extended range/payload. At zero/loiter speed, the added mass of the lifting body dampens motions, making the ship more stable, allowing for safer, easier deployment and retrieval of autonomous unmanned vehicles, equipment packages and personnel. At high speeds, the lifting body provides lift to partially elevate the hull out of the water (completely in some lifting body ship designs), significantly reducing hull drag. The lifting body lift-to-drag ratio is higher than that of the hull and, as a result, far less power is required to achieve speeds in excess of 40 knots. The underwater lifting body also offers a third benefit. The additional displacement from the underwater lifting body can increase the monohull’s payload by 15-20%, allowing it to carry more supplies, equipment, personnel, or fuel to increase its range of operations.

To date Navatek's lifting body hull designs include MIDFOIL, HYSWAC, Hybrid deep-vee (HDV) and Bow Lifting Body (BLB).