Crime and Punishment in the Royal Navy: Discipline on the Leeward Islands Station, 1784-1812 (England).

This dissertation is based primarily on the manuscript sources pertaining to the Leeward Islands station between 1784 and 1812 found in the Public Record Office. Its thesis is quite simple: Discipline in the Royal Navy in the age of sail was maintained in much the same fashion that law and order was enforced in the localities of eighteenth-century England. In short, justice afloat was administered according to the principles and practices used in the system of criminal law ashore

A SELF-ORGANISING FUZZY LOGIC AUTOPILOT FOR SMALL VESSELS

Currently small vessels use autopilots based on the Proportional plus Integral plus Derivative (PID) algorithm which utilises fixed gain values. This type of autopilot is known to often cause performance difficulties, a survey is therefore carried out to identify the alternative autopilot methods that have been previously investigated. It is shown that to date, all published work in this area has been based on large ships, however, there are specific difficulties applicable to the small vessel which have therefore not been considered. After the recognition of artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic as being the two most suitable techniques for use in the development of a new, and adaptive, small vessel autopilot design, the basic concepts of both are reviewed and fiizzy logic identified as being the most suitable for this application. The remainder of the work herein is concerned with the development of a fuzzy logic controller capable of a high level of performance in the two modes of coursekeeping and course-changing. Both modes are integrated together by the use of nonlinear fuzzy input windows. Improved performance is then obtained by using a nonlinear fuzzy rulebase. Integral action is included by converting the fuzzy output window to an unorthodox design described by two hundred and one fuzzy singletons, and then by shifting the identified fuzzy sets to positive, or negative, in order that any steady-state error may be removed from the vessel's performance. This design generated significant performance advantages when compared to the conventional PID autopilot. To develop further into an adaptive form of autopilot called the self-organising controller, the single rulebase was replaced by two enhancement matrices. These are novel features which are modified on-line by two corresponding performance indices. The magnitude of the learning was related to the observed performance of the vessel when expressed in terms of its heading error and rate of change of heading error. The autopilot design is validated using both simulation, and full scale sea trials. From these tests it is demonstrated that when compared to the conventional PID controller, the self-organising controller significantly improved performance for both course-changing and course-keeping modes of operation. In addition, it has the capability to learn on-line and therefore to maintain performance when subjected to vessel dynamic or environmental disturbance alterations

The application of emerging new technologies by Portsmouth Dockyard 1790-1815

The history of the Royal Navy during the war with France between 1793 and 1815 is well documented, but the part played by new technologies in maintaining the Royal Navy as an efficient fighting force and contributing to its ultimate success is much less well recognised. This thesis addresses this problem beginning with an examination of the demands made upon Portsmouth Dockyard, the largest of the Royal Dockyards, due to the growth in the size of the fleet. It studies the nature of the tasks carried out in the Dockyard and the ways in which its personnel undertook them. Following a review of emerging new technologies and considering those which were, or were not potentially relevant to the Dockyard's activities, the thesis examines the technological advances actually applied in the period, how they were related to the site, to each other and to the workforce. The main innovations resulted in a major increase in the throughput of the dry docks, due to new dock design and the imaginative use of steam-power. In the metalworking area too, steam-power, together with other new technologies, provided major benefits to the Navy as a whole, especially in the reprocessing of copper. In the woodworking area revolutionary new blockmaking machinery was at the forefront of advances in efficiency and increased output of blocks for the rigging of ships. These advances were primarily due to a small group of men led by Samuel Bentham and Simon Goodrich, who became first "Engineer of the Navy". For their innovative use of new technologies and their management skills, these men can justifiably claim their place in the history of the Navy and of technology. More importantly, the applications of technology in Portsmouth Dockyard made a significant contribution to the industrial revolution in Britain during the period

AN ADAPTABLE MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR INTEGRATED NAVIGATION SYSTEMS

The project has been directed towards improving the accuracy and safety of marine navigation and ship handling, whilst contributing to reduced manning and improved fuel costs. Thus, the aim of the work was to investigate, design and develop an adaptable mathematical model that could be used in an integrated navigation system (INS) and an automatic collision avoidance system (ACAS) for use in marine vehicles. A general overview of automatic navigation is undertaken and consideration is given to the use of microprocessors on the bridge. Many of these systems now require the use of mathematical models to predict the vessels' manoeuvring characteristics: The different types and forms of models have been investigated and the derivation of their hydrodynamic coefficients is discussed in detail. The model required for an ACAS should be both accurate and adaptable, hence, extensive simulations were undertaken to evaluate the suitability of each model type. The modular model was found to have the most adaptable structure. All the modular components of this model were considered in detail to improve its adaptability, the number of non-linear terms in the hull module being reduced. A novel application, using the circulation theory to model the propeller forces and moments, allows the model to be more flexible compared to using traditional B-series four-quadrant propeller design charts. A new formula has been derived for predicting the sway and yaw components due to the propeller paddle wheel effect which gives a good degree of accuracy when comparing simulated and actual ship data, resulting in a mean positional error of less than 7%. As a consequence of this work, it is now possible for an ACAS to incorporate a ship mathematical model which produces realistic manoeuvring characteristics. Thus, the study will help to contribute to safety at sea.Kelvin Hughes Lt

The equipment and fighting potential of the Spanish Armada

This study is based on the archaeological investigation of three wrecks from the Spanish Armada of 1588. As a result of these discoveries it has been possible to assess in practical terms the equipment and resources with which the Spaniards intended to invade England, and to identify their strengths and weaknesses. The ships were in general sturdy and well handled, but most of them were merchantmen and few could stand up well to heavy gunnery. The use of artillery at sea forms a major part of the study, and the extensive collection of guns and associated equipment recovered from the wrecks has helped to show why the Spaniards' performance in this respect was all but ineffective. Relics of the invasion army's weapons and matériel, which include parts of a dismantled heavy siege train, indicate on the other hand that the troops carried by the fleet were well equipped and likely to have been, if given the chance ashore, a formidable and fast-moving force. A fresh examination of the historical material, studied in conjunction with the archaeological evidence, has thrown new light on the campaign as a whole. The threat which England faced in 1588 is shown to have been a very real one. If the original plan put forward by the Spanish commanders to mount a self-contained task force from Lisbon had prevailed, the enterprise would almost certainly have succeeded. But Philip II's insistence on using the Army of Flanders as the main invasion force, with a smaller-scale Armada to escort it across the Channel in barges, gave rise to difficulties which proved insuperable. As an armed convoy the Armada might indeed have proved invincible, but as a battle-fleet it was almost inevitably bound to fail

The impact of economic activities on the social and political structures of Kuwait (1896-1946)

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