Shipbuilding Technology and Education

The U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research asked the National Research Council (NRC), through the NRC's Marine Board, to assess: the current state of research and technology application in the U.S. shipbuilding industry; current and proposed programs that invest in ship design and production-related research; and the current state of U.S. education in naval architecture and marine engineering. This report presents the results of the Marine Board study, which was conducted by a specially appointed committee of experts. This committee, the National Research Council Committee on National Needs in Maritime Technology, based its conclusions and recommendations on committee members' firsthand knowledge of international shipyards, ship acquisition, and technical exchange agreements between U.S. and international yards and on information obtained through workshops, briefings, and a literature review. The report is presented in five chapters.