Offshore Supply Vessel Design Studies with Application of Expert Systems

This thesis deals in depth with the design, operational and economic characteristics of offshore supply vessels, including pure supply and anchor handling/tug/supply types. The design characteristics investigated in this thesis include the main dimensions, hullform, stability, group weights, capacity and powering. The hullform of the offshore supply vessel is developed using the initial sketch technique where the vessel is divided into four boundary curves, that is, stem profile, parallel middle body and stem profile. The operational characteristics examine the seakeeping and manoeuvring behaviour, and the modelling of the supply operation of offshore supply vessels. The seakeeping characteristics are analysed using strip theory, while the manoeuvring characteristics are based on established empirical formulae. The modelling of the supply operation simulates the operating pattern of such vessels supplying materials to drilling platforms. Economic studies incorporated in this thesis served as a base for economic evaluation of each design. The required freight rate is used as a measure of merit for the owner operating the vessel, while the minimum charter rate is used if the owner is to charter the vessel. The computer is used as the principal tool in this thesis and a digital computer program algorithm has been developed to carry out the task. The computer program is written using expert system programming. Instead of using one of the languages used in expert system programming such as Lisp or Prolog, a well known commercial expert system shell, Leonardo, is used. The programs have been carefully written so that the user can interact with the system, the interaction can be merely to request continuation of the calculation or discuss the next step, with the system giving guidance, advice and stimulation. In general, three major programs have been developed. They are a. an iterative design program for offshore supply vessels, b. an interactive optimisation design program which involves mathematical optimisation procedures, and c. an operational modelling program for the offshore supply vessels. This thesis also considers methods of incorporating uncertainties in the preliminary design of offshore supply vessels. Apart from reviewing the existing methods of incorporating uncertainties in ship design studies, two methods are examined, Certainty Theory and Bayes' Rule. A program is written to incorporate uncertainties in the selection of main engine and propulsion units for the offshore supply vessels

A SEASAT report. Volume 1: Program summary

The program background and experiment objectives are summarized, and a description of the organization and interfaces of the project are provided. The mission plan and history are also included as well as user activities and a brief description of the data system. A financial and manpower summary and preliminary results of the mission are also included

James Michael Curley Scrapbooks Volume 126

The James Michael Curley Scrapbook Collection consists of digitized microfilmed copies of notebooks kept by Curley from 1914-1937. These notebooks contain news clippings that were drawn primarily from Boston newspapers. Curley was born in Roxbury, MA in 1874. He served four terms as Mayor of Boston: 1914–1918, 1922–1926, 1930–1934 and 1946–1950. He also served as Governor of Massachusetts from 1935-1937. In addition to Curley’s political career, the scrapbooks also include clippings about his first wife Mrs. Mary Herlihy Curley (1884-1930) and their daughter Mary D. Curley (1909-1950). A selection of the notebooks were microfilmed in 1962. The microfilm can be found in the holdings of Dinand Library, Holy Cross’s main library. Some clipping were distorted during the microfilming process. This volume includes news clippings from 1935.https://crossworks.holycross.edu/curley_scrapbooks/1156/thumbnail.jp