Model basins normally tested hulls for funded construction projects, which left little commercial reason to pursue an unrelated design idea. Additional research money could support comparisons before a specific ship order justified them. Dr Clarke recalls friends testing the hull shown on screen and finding it economical at about 24 knots, although it had been intended for a 21-knot ship. Hull design also has to balance a stable firing platform in calm weather with acceptable motion and stability in rough seas. Royal Navy armoured cruisers show how useful hull lines developed through two or three generations of refinement.
Notable Point · 42:11-45:21
Hull experiments need a customer willing to pay
Model-basin and hull work normally follows funded ship projects, but a research budget could support more deliberate testing of speed and seakeeping.