The Italian cruise ship Willem Ruys was built between 1939 and 1947. When it was sold to the Italian Lauro Organization in 1966, it was renamed after the company owner Achille Lauro. After being hijacked by Palestinian warriors (PLO), in October 1985, the blue liner and cruiser made international headlines. Swept by a catastrophic fire Achille Lauro sank December 2, 1994, off the Somalian coast.

Underwater communication systems have been gaining significant interest over the past two decades in addressing various applications, ranging from the depths of the ocean to its surface. To implement applications such as oil monitoring, earthquake and tsunami detection, marine animal study and military surveillance, underwater communications are crucial in establishing reliable connections between sensor nodes.

Unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) is a collective term used to describe autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles, semi-submersibles, and unmanned surface craft. Considerable interest has been shown in UMVs by the military, civilian and scientific communities due to their ability to undertake designated missions whilst either operating autonomously and/or on co-operation with other types of vehicle. Increasing importance is also being placed on the design and development of such vehicles as they are capable of providing cost effective solutions to a number of littoral, coastal and offshore problems. This book draws attention to the advanced technology which is evolving to meet the challenges being posed in this exciting and growing field of study.

The s.s. 'America' was an ocean liner which entered service in 1940 for the United States Lines. She was designed by the famous naval architect William Francis Gibbs. In the 54 years between her introduction and her wrecking in 1994, she had eight different owners (of which one twice) and sailed under the names of 'America' (carrying this name three different times), 'West Point', 'Australis', 'Italis', 'Noga', 'Alferdoss' and 'American Star'. She served most in passenger service as s.s. 'America' and s.s. 'Australis'. In this number of Liners the story of this remarkable ship.

Machine learning and data analytics can be used to inform technical, commercial and financial decisions in the maritime industry. Applications of Machine Learning and Data Analytics Models in Maritime Transportation explores the fundamental principles of analysing maritime transportation related practical problems using data-driven models, with a particular focus on machine learning and operations research models.

The recent development of advanced processing capabilities and higher yield power supplies means that Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUVs) are finding novel and increasingly advanced applications in research, military and commercial settings.

Trapped in the Far East by the over-run of the Netherlands and by the occupancy of the Netherlands East Indies, Tromp's destiny lay in the Indian Ocean and Pacific onslaughts. The ship became one of the highest decorated Dutch warships of World War II. Often referred to as 'The Ghost Ship', the crew preferred to call her 'The Lucky Ship', since she was no less than five times claimed to be sunk.

The CW-21 was designed during the late 1930s. It combined light weight construction with a powerful engine, which resulted in an excellent rate of climb and manoeuvrability, allowing the fighter to quickly reach the height of attacking enemy aircraft, and attack them. The prototype was sent to China as a demonstration copy and an order for three aircraft, plus a further 32 as kits, followed. These would be assembled locally. Only the three production machines arrived in the chaos of war and would never see actual combat. A second modified variant was ordered by the Dutch government and 24 were delivered to the Netherlands Indies. The CW-21s were outnumbered and outgunned when the Japanese launched their attack on the Netherlands Indies. Despite the poor outlook, the pilots flying them put up a good fight...

HMCS Haida was a destroyer of the Tribal-class serving in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from 1943-1963. During World War II, Haida sank more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship. In the Korean War the ship did two tours of duty.

Nowadays she is the only surviving Tribal-class destroyer out of 27 units that were constructed between 1937-1945 for the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.

HNLMS Kortenaer was torpedoed by the Japanese cruiser Haguro in the Battle of the Java Sea on February 27, 1942. An eyewitness recorded that ‘Kortenaer, about 700 yards bearing 80° relative, was struck on the starboard quarter by a torpedo, blew up, turned over, and sank at once leaving only a jackknifed bow and stern a few feet above the surface.’

Renewable energy is expected to play a major part in future energy supplies, both to reduce the impact on the world climate and also to make up for any shortfall in conventional energy sources. Ocean energy has the potential to make a significant contribution to future renewable energy supplies as identified in recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change and the International Energy Agency. Ocean energy is an emerging industry sector and there are a number of promising developments under way. Significant commercial deployments in the gigawatt range are envisaged over the next 10 to 20 years in Europe, USA, Asia and South America.

HNLMS Zuiderkruis (1975-2012) was the second Fast Combat Support Ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy. It was primarily intended for Replenishment At Sea, fueling task groups and NATO units. As a modern design Zuiderkruis enabled a “one stop replenishment” and also carried AVCAT, fresh water and spare parts. A helicopter deck facilitated vertical replenishment.

A revealing study on the little-known and misunderstood provincial navies established by North American British colonists.

In The First Fleets, Benjamin C. Schaffer reveals how, contrary to widespread beliefs, the American colonies had a long tradition of independent naval defense decades before the Revolution. He demonstrates that Anglo-American governments established and maintained significant provincial naval forces and that the history of provincial navies illuminates broader aspects of colonial history and the colonies’ ultimate break with the British Crown.

Based on meticulous research, Schaffer recounts the sea-borne threats that American colonies faced from the French, Spanish, pirates, and others. He reviews colonial governance and the relationships between colonial governments and Great Britain. Highlighting Britain’s scant naval power in North America, Schaffer demonstrates how the vulnerable coastal colonies undertook their own self-defense.

Schaffer’s readable study offers many fascinating episodes from colonial history. Establishing a navy was controversial in pacifist-minded, Quaker-dominated Pennsylvania. South Carolina deployed its scout-boat navy to pursue enslaved Africans who fled colonial capture. The first paper money issued in North America was an initiative to pay for a naval expedition against French Quebec in 1690. These and other episodes show the intimate connection between these little-known provincial navies and the major sociopolitical developments of their day.

The First Fleets will be of great interest to historians and readers of early American history, particularly colonial maritime and naval activities. Readers interested in the political and military dynamics of pre-Revolutionary America, as well as enthusiasts of naval history and maritime trade, will find The First Fleets both a valuable resource and an engrossing narrative.

HMS Leander was completed in 1963 as the first ship of the Leander Class Improved Type 12 General Purpose Frigates. In 1974, she joined the 3rd Frigate Squadron, which included other Leander-class frigates. The design was the most successful Western frigate of its time and led to several new international designs.

The ships of the Jacob van Heemskerck class of the Royal Netherlands Navy were constructed as specialized air defense frigates. The two ships that were built served for about twenty years in the R.N.N. Since 2005, both ships are in service as the Almirante Latorre class in the Chilean Navy.

The ships of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class were designed in the United States in the mid-1970’s as general-purpose escort vessels. They were inexpensive enough to be bought in large quantities and replace older ships. Meant to protect amphibious landing forces, supply and replenishment groups, and merchant convoys from submarines, they also became part of battleship-centric groups and aircraft battle/strike groups.

The ships of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class were designed in the United States in the mid-1970’s as general-purpose escort vessels. They were inexpensive enough to be bought in large quantities and replace older ships. Meant to protect amphibious landing forces, supply and replenishment groups, and merchant convoys from submarines, they also became part of battleship-centric groups and aircraft battle/strike groups.

The previous volume Advances in Unmanned Marine Vehicles brought together eighteen chapters describing research and developments in unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs). It was observed that almost without exception research groups worldwide were developing and working on real UMVs which means that they are able to test, evaluate and re-evaluate their designs in relatively quick succession, thereby rapidly reporting new approaches, techniques, designs and successes. This rapid design-evaluation cycle is the prime mover for progress, not only for consolidating designs but also leading to new design ideas and innovation. Since its publication in 2006, Advances in Unmanned Marine Vehicles has proven to be a useful and popular source of reference. However, the rapid design-evaluation cycle means further advances have been made which need to be reported. Thus, the seventeen chapters contained in this volume cover further advances in autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles, semi-submersibles, unmanned surface vessels whilst operating autonomously and/or in co-operation with other types of UMV. This book will be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers and industrialists who are involved in the design and development of UMVs.

Both Tromp-class frigates entered service in 1975/-76. Their primary task was area air defense. They acted as flagships for the COMNLTG (Commander Netherlands Task Group). Their large radome (which housed a 3D radar antenna) is why the ships had the nickname ‘Kojak’, after the bald-headed actor in the famous crime tv-series.

An outdoor adventure memoir by a legendary diver and innovator who never stopped pushing the limit

I Live Underwater is the highly anticipated posthumous memoir of Max Nohl, a larger-than-life thrill seeker and treasure hunter who revolutionized deep-sea diving. Recounting harrowing experiences with tangled air-hoses, hungry sharks, untested scientific theories, and painful cases of the bends, Nohl’s vivid narrative shows how his unquenchable thirst for adventure propelled him to transcend fear and become one of the field’s great innovators—shattering the diving record in 1937 as the first person to dive deeper than 400 feet. 

Beginning with the disquieting childhood experiences that inspired his obsession with the underwater world, Nohl goes on to discuss his innovative work on the first self-contained diving suit as a student at MIT and his risky experiments in breathing helium to achieve deeper dives. In addition to making vital contributions to the commercial diving industry, Nohl was a pioneer in underwater filming, developing equipment and techniques that were employed in many Hollywood film and television productions. 

After Nohl’s sudden death in 1960 in a car accident, his nearly complete memoir sat in the Milwaukee Public Library Archives—unpublished, until now. Accompanying this page-turning text is a dynamic assortment of images, including Nohl’s original pen-and-ink sketches and historic photos of Nohl and his collaborators. A foreword by Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen provides insights into Nohl’s many important contributions to the diving world and to Wisconsin history and culture.

Includes stories of dives in Lake Michigan (near Milwaukee), the North Atlantic (near Marblehead and Martha’s Vineyard), Walden Pond, the Gulf Coast (near Morgan City, Louisiana, and Panama City, Apalachicola, Wakulla Springs, and Tarpon Springs in Florida), and the Caribbean (near Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
 

Given the volumes of global ship traffic, solutions are needed to reduce waiting times, costs, energy consumption and emissions. This systematic reference on ICT solutions and digitalisation in the ports and shipping sector covers new and existing technologies, different types of digital systems, and offers illustrative examples and case studies.

One of a two-ship class assault ships commissioned in 1967. Incorporating a large docking well aft, which could accommodate up to four medium landing craft, while four 30 troop light landing craft could be loaded on davits each side of the superstructure. The large flight deck aft could operate up to six helicopters. Both ships operated with the Falkland Task Force in 1982.

The maritime domain is of an enormous interest to our society, from the economy to health, and security. Operating in the maritime domain, on the other hand, is dangerous, expensive, and most of the time at low execution speed. Unmanned systems are in many ways suited to such environments, but the successful realisation of maritime autonomous vehicles requires an overarching design and development cycle, starting from design and modelling of unmanned systems, to control and implementation exhibiting a reliable and explainable level of autonomy and self-organization amidst the sudden and possibly extreme disturbances occurring in the uncertain and dynamic maritime environment.

Engineering the battlefield—one armored advance at a time.

For centuries sailing vessels crept along the coastline, ready to flee ashore in case of danger or trouble; this worked well until weather or poor sailing drove these ships against an unforgiving coast. Saviors and salvors (often the same people) struggled to rescue both humans and cargo, often with results as tragic for them as for the sailors and passengers.

Joseph Francis (b. Boston, Massachusetts, 1801) was an inventor who also had the ability to organize a business to produce his inventions and the salesmanship to sell his products. His metal lifeboats, first used in survey expeditions in Asia Minor and Central America, came into demand among the world’s merchant marine, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Revenue Service. His corrugated “life car” was the keystone to development of the U.S. Life-Saving Service. Francis’s metal bateaux and lifeboats played an important role in the Third Seminole War in Florida. His metal pontoon army wagons served in the trans-Mississippi campaigns against the Indians.

In Europe, he was acclaimed as a genius and sold patent rights to shipyards in Liverpool and the Woolwich Arsenal in England, Le Havre seaport in France, in the free city of Hamburg, and in the Russian Empire. But while Francis was busy in Europe, Captain Douglass Ottinger, U.S. Revenue Marine Service, claimed to be the inventor of Francis’s life car and obtained support in the U.S. Congress and the Patent Office for his claim. Francis had to battle for decades to prove his rights, and Americans remained generally unfamiliar with his devices, thereby condemning Civil War armies to inferior copies while Europe was using, and acclaiming, his inventions.

Robotic marine vessels can be used for a wide range of purposes, including defence, marine science, offshore energy and hydrographic surveys, and environmental surveys and protection. Such vessels need to meet a variety of criteria: they must be able to operate in salt water, and to communicate and be controlled over large distances, even when submerged or in inclement weather. Further challenges include 3D navigation of individual vehicles, groups or squadrons.

Her novel design and lavish interiors led many to consider her the greatest of ocean liners. Despite this, Normandie was not a commercial success. During service the flagship of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, made 139 westbound transatlantic crossings and held the Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing at several points during her service career.

A vast array of ocean instrumentation has been developed for research purposes since the middle of the twentieth century, among which remote sensing technologies have become increasingly important. Within this class of instruments, high frequency (HF) surface and skywave radar, microwave marine radar and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)-based radar have been successfully implemented in gathering information on large tracts of the ocean surface. This book provides a systematic introduction to the principles, state-of-the-art methods and applications of HF surface and sky wave radar, microwave marine radar and GNSS-based radar, as well as an exploration of ongoing challenges in the field.

A meticulously researched account of how the US Navy evolved between the War of 1812 and the Civil War
 
The 1830s is an overlooked period in American naval history and is usually overshadowed by the more dramatic War of 1812 and the Civil War. Nevertheless, the personnel, operations, technologies, policies, and vision of the Navy of that era, which was emerging from the “Age of Sail,” are important components of its evolution, setting it on the long path to its status as a global maritime power. On Wide Seas: The US Navy in the Jacksonian Era details the ways in which the US Navy transformed from an antiquated arm of the nation’s military infrastructure into a more dynamic and effective force that was soon to play a pivotal role in a number of national and international conflicts.
 
By Andrew Jackson’s inauguration in 1829, the Navy had engaged with two major powers, defended American shipping, conducted antipiracy operations, and provided a substantive, long-term overseas presence. The Navy began to transform during Jackson’s administration due in part to the policies of the administration and to the emerging officer corps, which sought to professionalize its own ranks, modernize the platforms on which it sailed, and define its own role within national affairs and in the broader global maritime commons. Jackson had built his reputation as a soldier, but he quickly recognized as president the necessity for a navy that could foster his policies. To expand American commerce, he needed a navy that could defend shipping as well as conduct punitive raids or deterrence missions.
 
Jackson developed a clear, concise naval strategy that policymakers and officers alike could seize and execute. He also provided a vision for the Navy, interceded to resolve naval disciplinary challenges, and directed naval operations. Also, given Jackson’s own politics, junior officers were emboldened by the populist era to challenge traditional, conservative thinking. They carried out a collective vision that coincided with the national literary movement that recognized America’s future would rely upon the Navy.
 

The six Frigate Panters were all built in the USA with MDAP funds. They were designed to escort slow coastal convoys in the Channel and North Sea areas and were operated as a single squadron by the Royal Netherlands Navy. They proved useful in a number of peacetime tasks, especially fishery protection, and some retained this role in the North Sea until the mid-1980s.

Protected cruiser (Pantserdekschip) HNLMS Gelderland was a Holland-class cruiser of the Royal Netherlands Navy. This class, of six ships, was considered a modest, but well thought-out design. At a speed of 10 knots the radius of action would have been 8000 miles, while the two triple expansion engines could generate a maximum speed of 19,5 knots.

Ordered by the Royal Navy in 1941, the destroyers of the 5th Emergency Flotilla became known as S-class and served as fleet and convoy escorts in World War II. In the last months of the war, three were transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy for service in the Far East. HMS Serapis was renamed HNLMS Piet Hein and served in the Indonesian War of Independence and saw action in the Korean War. She was sold for scrap in 1962.

Sea Clutter: Scattering, the K Distribution and Radar Performance, 2nd Edition gives an authoritative account of our current understanding of radar sea clutter. Topics covered include the characteristics of radar sea clutter, modelling radar scattering by the ocean surface, statistical models of sea clutter, the simulation of clutter and other random processes, detection of small targets in sea clutter, imaging ocean surface features, radar detection performance calculations, CFAR detection, and the specification and measurement of radar performance. The calculation of the performance of practical radar systems is presented in sufficient detail for the reader to be able to tackle related problems with confidence. In this second edition the contents have been fully updated and reorganised to give better access to the different types of material in the book. Extensive new material has been added on the Doppler characteristics of sea clutter and detection processing; bistatic sea clutter measurements; electromagnetic scattering theory of littoral sea clutter and bistatic sea clutter; the use of models for predicting radar performance; and use of the K distribution in other fields.

This book provides an authoritative account of the current understanding of radar sea clutter, describing its phenomenology, EM scattering and statistical modelling and simulation, and their use in the design of detection systems and the calculation and practical evaluation of radar performance.

The ss 'Australis' was a well known ocean liner which entered service in 1940 as the
ss 'America' for the United States Lines. The ship was sold to the Greek Chandris Lines in 1964 and served until 1977 very succesfully on the route Western-Europe-Australia-New Zealand. Later the route became a full round-the-world-service. After her Australian period the liner sailed under the names of 'America' (for the third time), 'Italis', 'Noga', 'Alferdoss' and finally 'American Star'. In this volume of Liners the history of the great liner from when she was purchased by the Greek interest in 1964 until her sad wracking in January 1994.

Radar is a legal necessity for the safe navigation of merchant ships, and within vessel traffic services is indispensable to the operation of major ports and harbours. Target Detection by Marine Radar concentrates solely on civil marine operations and explains how marine surveillance radars detect their targets. The book is fully illustrated and contains worked examples to help the reader understand the principles underlying radar operation and to quantify the importance of factors such as the technical features of specific equipment, the weather, target reflection properties, and the ability of the operator. The precision with which targets are positioned on the radar screen and with which their progress is tracked or predicted depends on how definitely they have been detected, therefore a whole chapter has been devoted to the issue of accuracy. The various international regulations governing marine radar are examined, a brief historical background is given to modern day practice and the book doses with a discussion of the ways in which marine radar may develop to meet future challenges.

In the eighties, the Royal Netherlands Navy acquired 15 minehunters of the Alkmaar-class. They were deployed worldwide in conflicts (the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Libyan Sea). In all European waters they exercised and cleared historical ordnance. HNLMS Haarlem represents the rich history of the tripartite minehunters of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

The primary role of the Type 42 destroyers was providing air defense for the fleet. With their long-range sensors, the ships could also act as radar pickets, sailing ahead of a task group. HMS Southampton was the eighth ship originally destined to be a 16-ship class – two of these ships have been exported to Argentina. The type 42 comprised eight Batch 1 vessels, four Batch 2 and four Batch 3 Stretched Type 42.

After World War II, the Royal Netherlands Navy ordered new ships to counter the growing threat coming from the Soviet submarines. These ships were classified as ASW destroyers (onderzeebootjagers), but close to contemporary destroyers in terms of specifications. The national industry designed and constructed two classes of these ships. Drenthe was of the more capable Type 47B series.

Trapped in the Far East by the over-run of the Netherlands and by the occupancy of the Netherlands East Indies, Tromp's destiny lay in the Indian Ocean and Pacific onslaughts. The ship became one of the highest decorated Dutch warships of World War II. Often referred to as 'The Ghost Ship', the crew preferred to call her 'The Lucky Ship', since she was no less than five times claimed to be sunk.

The Van Speijk class frigates were equipped with Dutch electronics/sensors. The British Leander design was chosen to enable rapid construction to replace elderly escorts for ASW duties and NATO patrol. The ships were thoroughly modernised in the late 1970s. Between 1986-1990 all six were transferred to the Indonesian Navy.

The ships of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class were designed in the United States in the mid-1970’s as general-purpose escort vessels. They were inexpensive enough to be bought in large quantities and replace older ships. Meant to protect amphibious landing forces, supply and replenishment groups, and merchant convoys from submarines, they also became part of battleship-centric groups and aircraft battle/strike groups.

Protected cruiser (Pantserdekschip) HNLMS Gelderland was a Holland-class cruiser of the Royal Netherlands Navy. This class, of six ships, was considered a modest, but well thought-out design. At a speed of 10 knots the radius of action would have been 8000 miles, while the two triple expansion engines could generate a maximum speed of 19,5 knots.

HMCS Haida was a destroyer of the Tribal-class serving in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from 1943-1963. During World War II, Haida sank more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship. In the Korean War the ship did two tours of duty.

Nowadays she is the only surviving Tribal-class destroyer out of 27 units that were constructed between 1937-1945 for the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.