SpringSharp 2.

1 December 2004

Contents

What is SpringSharp?.............................................................................................................1
Instructions and Changes........................................................................................................2
Installing SpringSharp........................................................................................................2
Program Instructions...........................................................................................................3
Overall Layout........................................................................................................................3
Hull Page.................................................................................................................................5
Ship.....................................................................................................................................5
Dimensions.........................................................................................................................5
Normal displacement / Block Coefficient...........................................................................6
Freeboard Page........................................................................................................................8
Use of Freeboard Tab Page.................................................................................................8
Guns Page.............................................................................................................................11
Weapons Page.......................................................................................................................14
Gun Mounts......................................................................................................................14
Torpedoes..........................................................................................................................16
Armour Page.........................................................................................................................17
Belts and Bulkheads..........................................................................................................17
Gun Armour......................................................................................................................18
Other Armour....................................................................................................................19
Engines Page.........................................................................................................................20
Performance Page.................................................................................................................23
Stability, seakeeping, damage sustainability and room:...................................................23
Right hand attributes.........................................................................................................24
Roominess attributes.........................................................................................................24
Displacement, cost and strength:......................................................................................25
Report Page...........................................................................................................................26
Technical Reference..............................................................................................................29

What is SpringSharp?
SpringSharp is a warship design simulator in the tradition of the “spring style” design
proposals drawn up by naval ship designers prior to approval to do more detailed design
work. From a relatively small set of inputs it estimates the likely characteristics and weight
distributions of the desired ship. The program is used on a number of Internet based
discussion groups to discuss “what-if” or “never completed” warships between 1850 and
1950.

The analysis of designs is based on a number of Naval Architecture design formulas as well
as empirical estimations based on research of real world examples. The output of the program
is a report on the ship’s physical characteristics and predicted performance. In its current form
it does not draw the ship. SpringSharp creates two files:
 .sship file which is a text file that saves the inputs so they can be opened again, and
 .ssr files which saves the report file which can be copied and pasted into the
discussion group’s post form or opened in WordPad and most word processors.

The program does not require the user to understand Naval Architecture but does assume that
you have some knowledge of warships and naval terminology. Tool tips are included to help
explain the inputs and calculations. Warning messages can also guide you through the design

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 SpringSharp Version 2.1 December 2004
process. This guide gives additional information whilst the users of the program on the
discussion groups (see links on www.springsharp.com) will help by critiquing designs.

The term SpringSharp refers to the fact that it is a Spring Style program (originally based on
Rick Robinson’s SpringStyle version 1.2.1) programmed in the C# (C Sharp) programming
language. The program was created by James Ross-Gowan and Ian Ross-Gowan and has been
beta tested, with thanks, by Gavin Bishop (Red Admiral), Cliff James (Kaiser), Stephan
Pissors (HoOmAn) and others.

Instructions and Changes

Version 2.1 is minor upgrade to Version 2. It incorporates an update of the look and feel add-
in, a better calculation of the effects of a torpedo bulkhead, a limitation on negative data entry,
a speed improvement especially when loading a ship after already having a ship loaded and a
couple of bug fixes.
 Version 1.0 replicated the results and capabilities of the non-metric version of
SpringStyle 1.2.1 in a Windows 98 or later / .Net 1.0 Framework environment.
 Version 1.1 included minor improvements, dual metric / imperial inputs and reports
and .Net 1.1.
 Version 2.0 was a major upgrade. Most of the code was e-written to add new
flexibility, correct old issues and to rely on more accepted Naval Architecture
calculations. Flexibility in hull design, armour and guns was substantially improved
whilst the layout has changed to an Office 2003 look and feel.

The program has been tested on Windows 2000, Windows XP Pro and Windows XP Home
with a variety of chips without problems so far. It can be slow when loading a file over an
existing ship on an Intel Pentium 4 HT, which is odd, as it is the “fastest” of the CPUs. It has
also been tested using the built in Windows colour schemes and XP themes.

Installing SpringSharp

To install and use SpringSharp you must be using a Windows 98 or later computer with .Net
Frameworks 1.1 installed. This framework is available as a free download from Microsoft and
will enable you computer to run any program programmed on Microsoft Visual Studio .Net or
equivalent products from Borland etc in the same or similar way that the Visual Basic runtime
files or Java Virtual Machine and alike may be needed for programs from other development
environments.

If you have downloaded the install program (for Windows XP or earlier Windows updated to
use Windows Installer 1.5), unzip and double click on this program to install the program and
sample files.

If you have the individual files then you should ensure that springsharp.exe,
DevComponents.DotNetBar.dll and DevComponents.DotNetBar.xml are in the same folder.
The last two files are needed to give SpringSharp its VS 2005 look and feel and are from
DevComponents. You have licence to use the extensions in this program.

The .sship and .ssr files can be stored in any folder. SpringSharp will remember this folder
once you have saved files here from within SpringSharp.

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Program Instructions

The following pages detail what the program does, the changes from Version 1.x and future
enhancements. A tutorial will be released soon.

Overall Layout

SpringSharp is a multi-paged form based program. It has 8 pages (ignoring the About page):
1. Hull: This page is used to set the base parameters such as name, dates, length, beam
etc. This page sets the normal displacement – a major driver of the entire program.
2. Freeboard: This page is used to set the shape of the ship and the height of the
“freeboard” deck. The freeboard deck is a SpringSharp term for the height above the
waterline of the side of the ship’s hull excluding bulwarks at normal displacement. It
is not necessarily one contiguous deck nor is it necessarily the Main, Upper, Weather,
Gun or other deck.
3. Guns: This page is used to enter the guns carried by the ship including magazines.
4. Weapons: This page is used to enter the mounts that carry the guns as well as
torpedoes and miscellaneous weight.
5. Armour: Enter all armour on this page.
6. Engines: Enter speed, range and type of engine on this page.
7. Performance: This page summarises the major characteristic and is used to set the
balance of the design between competing factors.
8. Report: The output of the program. Note: All other pages are “live” in that they will
change immediately as a result of any input in a related area anywhere in the program.
The report page is only updated when you update it. Clicking at any time on the

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Report tool bar button on right hand side of the menu bar or the Make Report button in
the status bar once the ship is considered to be at that status will do this. If you create a
report and change a parameter without re-creating the report then if you save the
report at this time, you will not save that change.

The layout has been rearranged so that the program will fit on an 800 x 600 screen and two
ships can be opened side-by-side on a screen 1024 x 768 or larger. The menu allows the user
to open a second instance of the program. Second or subsequent instances can be individually
shutdown but closing the opening ship window will close all open ships (with a warning
dialog box). The pages are can be maximised unless the fly out panel is displayed.

The fly out panel can be shown that includes many of the more important features to balance
the ship design. This panel can be seen from any page by clicking on the double-headed arrow
tool bar button on the right hand side of the menu bar. It can be hidden the same way.

The Status bar shows either the current composite strength or the latest current warning. Only
changing the inputs that caused this warning can clear that warning. Some warnings may just
be unusual features of the ship; others mean that the design is not complete or at times not
possible. The status bar also shows if the current .sship (data file) and .ssr (report file) as
displaced have not been saved since the last change. The final section shows the general status
of the design. If the ship has a composite strength that is not yet calculable or is less than 0.5
then it is “Incomplete.” Above this it is at “Make Report” Status and clicking on this section
of the status bar at this time will make the report. Once the report has been made and no other
changes have been done the status is “Save Report”. Again clicking here will save both the
.sship and .ssr files. This will change the status to “Complete”. Any change to inputs at “Save
Report” or “Complete” status will change the status back to “Incomplete” or “Make Report”.

The menu options are straight forward;

Open New Ship Window: Opens a new instance of the program in a separate window. This
allows you to compare two ships side by side.
Open Data File: Loads a previously saved .sship file. Note the program cannot currently
handle loading a file that uses 0.0 for decimals if the computer is set to 0,0 or visa
versa.
Save Data File: Saves a .sship file based on current inputs without saving a .ssr file.
Clear All: Resets all number inputs to zero leaving all drop-down list choices the same.
Exit: Closes the program or just the new window if this is not the original window.

The options under Edit and Report apply only to the report page and need no further
explanation. To cut, copy or paste on other pages use the shortcut keys (ctrl + x, ctrl + c
ctrl + v).

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Hull Page
Ship
Name: Name of the warship including prefix if applicable or desired
Country: Country of warship. SpringSharp does not apply different rules to different
countries
Type: Type of warship. SpringSharp does not apply different rules to different types of
warships. Differences are driven by tonnage, speed and fit out (for example a ship
that is less than 4,000 tonnes and greater than 24 knots maximum speed is treated
as a Destroyer).
Year ship laid down: The general technology level is determined by the date the ship is laid
down. This affects weaponry, armour, engines, speed, fuel consumption, strength,
cost, roominess. Entry in this box also fills in or writes over the Year engine built
and gun model year boxes.
Year engine built: The general technology level for engines can be adjusted for engines by
the date the model of engine was built. This allows for engines to be upgraded or
the same type of engine to be used as in a ship that was laid down earlier. This
affects engines, speed, fuel consumption and roominess. Enter after entering the
date the ship was laid down.

Dimensions
Scale drop down list: Sets measurement to either feet or metres. Affects length, beam, depth
and freeboard. If you want to change all scale drop down lists (including guns,
torpedoes and armour to either all metric or all imperial at once choose the
appropriate option from this drop down list.

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Length: Maximum length in water. Include ram as this length affects water residence.
Overall length is calculated on Freeboard page. A longer ship should:
 Have larger wetted surface area and hence higher viscous resistance,
 Have less wave making resistance and improved propulsive performance,
 Have higher weight and cost,
 Achieve the same speed with less engine power,
 Have less capacity than a shorter ship of the same displacement,
 Have poorer stability characteristics,
 Have improved the directional stability but poorer turning ability,
 Require a higher freeboard
 May have higher vertical plane motions, including heave, pitch, vertical
accelerations, deck wetness and probability of slamming.
Beam (hull): Maximum width in water excluding bulges. Exclude above water overhangs.
Entering a figure in this box also writes or over writes any entry in the Beam
(bulges) box.
Beam (bulges): Maximum width in water. Exclude above water overhangs. Enter after
entering Beam (hull). A wider ship should:
 Have increased resistance and hence the engine power and operating costs,
 Have improved stability characteristics,
 Have higher weight and cost of hull,
 Have reduced roll period.
Draught: Maximum hull draught at normal displacement excluding sonar domes and alike.
A deep draught may have restricted port, harbour and canal access. A shallow
draught increases the risk of bow slamming.
Transom stern: Allows for a simple submerged transom stern. This reduces power to achieve
a desired speed, a higher speed for a given power output and/or a greater range.
Calculation increases the effective length by Beam (Bulges) / Sharpness
Coefficient. Use of a transom stern should be restricted to late 1930s and on in
line with real world use.

Normal displacement / Block Coefficient

Normal displacement is entered either directly or by block coefficient. The block coefficient
is the most basic parameter used to define the fullness of the underwater hull form. Many of
the performance characteristics of a ship are affected by the block coefficient. Consequences
of a reduction in block coefficient will, in general, be as follows
 Reduction in the required propulsion power due to less resistance and better
propulsive efficiency. This may result in a lighter engine and reduced weight,
 Decrease in fuel consumption or higher speed with the same engine,
 Increase in steel weight,
 Reduced capacity / displacement,
 Improved seakeeping performance with lower motion levels and reduced probability
of slamming,
 Better directional stability with reduced manoeuvrability,
 Slight improvement in static stability characteristics,
 Increased building cost due to:
o Greater quantities of curved plates and sections
o Fewer flat plates with rectangular boundaries
o The need for a greater variety in plate thickness and size and for more sections
o More scrap

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The upper limit of block coefficient for commercial ships is considered 0.87 beyond which
satisfactory flow to the propeller cannot be maintained. Larger, generally slower warships (eg
Battleships) will be around 0.60 to 0.65. Cruisers and Battle Cruisers 0.50 to 0.60, Destroyers
0.40 to 0.50. SpringSharp will not accept a total less than 0.30 or over 1.00.

Waterplane area: Replaced Submergence. Deck area in square feet and square meters at the
waterline at normal displacement using Parsons waterplane area calculations.
Waterplane area increases with increases in length, beam, and block coefficient as
well as by having more than 1 propeller or a Transom stern. These formulas give a
larger deck area than the previous versions resulting in a higher weight for deck
armour, increased accommodation and workspace, improved flotation and higher
structural weight. These changes are justified by being based on recognised Naval
Architecture design estimation formulas. The change to waterplane area from
submergence is more useful for designers. For example if someone wishes to
calculate the average armour deck thickness of a ship that has no armour forward
of forward magazine then assume:
Length = 700 feet
Beam = 90 feet
Block Coefficient 0.55
Forecastle length = 20% = 140 feet
Waterplane Area = 43,976 square feet
Average armour deck thickness over protected area = 2 inches
Approximate area of unarmoured bow = a triangle 140 feet long and 90
feet wide = (140 x 90) / 2 = 6,300 square feet (close enough)
Average armour deck thickness over waterplane area =
(43,976 - 6300) / 43,967 x 2 = 1.713 inches saving 234 tons of armour
Wetted surface area: Replaced Friction Coefficient. The wetted surface is the area of the skin
of the underwater part of the hull at normal displacement and is the major
contributor to friction at lower speeds. It affects the power requirements, range etc
of the ship. The calculation uses the Mumford formula (length x draught x 1.7 +
displacement x 35/ draught).
Length : Beam: Replaced Sharpness coefficient. Number of times the ship is longer than it is
wide at it widest in the water. In practice this was virtually always between 5:1
and 10:1. A high ratio will result in a ship that is less stable, has less capacity and
is less manoeuvrable. A low ratio will increase power and fuel to achieve the
same range or speed.
Natural speed: Maximum speed of a normal displacement hull based on the square root of the
water length and adjusted for transom stern. Power devoted to speeds above this
speed is largely lost to wave formation.
Sharpness coefficient: Although no longer shown (replaced by Length: Beam Ratios) this
figure is used to calculate the “sharpness” of the hull based on length/beam ratio
and block coefficient. It affects friction, engines and range
Hull speed coefficient: M calculation based on length / 3.28 / displacement0.333 has been
dropped from the program as it never affected any calculation and I don’t think it
is a really useful number for simmers to know.
Crew max and min: Empirical estimation of crew levels for ship based on displacement has
been moved so that it only appears in the report.

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Freeboard Page
Use of Freeboard Tab Page
This new page is used to define the overall length and above water shape of the hull. Note
freeboard in Version 2 only excludes bulwarks. For Broadside guns, a Frigate style ship (eg
HMS Warrior launched 1860) has its guns below the freeboard deck, a Corvette style ship (eg
HMS Jason launched 1859) has its guns on the freeboard deck and a raised casemate ship (eg
CSS Virginia – Formerly USS Merrimac) has it guns mounted above the freeboard deck.

Ships with a freeboard at Box 13 lower than 1.1 x the square root of the length (D.K. Brown –
RN Rule of thumb in WWII) will be considered wet forward. This is not a design failure as
most ships in the 19th and early 20th centuries were wet forward.

Boxes 4, 7 & 10 allow for the positioning of breaks (or steps) in the hull and the start and end
points of the “normal area” covering the machinery and magazines. Note: if the start and end
points of this area do not correspond with the breaks then the size of the belt can be manually
entered on the Armour page. Although SpringSharp assumes that no guns are mounted on the
forecastle or quarterdeck a few small guns will not make a material difference.

Box 3 is used to enter any increase in overall length as a result of above water stern overhangs
such as stern walks or angled transom sterns. Enter the length of these to add to the overall
length of the ship eg a stern walk that sticks out 3 feet further than hull below water on 500
feet long (water length) ship will increase her overall length to 503 feet.

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Box 14 is used to enter the effective angle at the stem (extreme front of the bow) to calculate
the length overall from the previously entered water length. A positive angle gives a forward
sloping “Atlantic” style bow; a negative angle gives ram style bow. The angle off
perpendicular is determined by:
1. Enter freeboard in box 13 before entering the angle in box 14
2. Draw a vertical line from the maximum length underwater. This will either be right at
the waterline or at the front of the ram. Point A = where this vertical line crossed the
waterline.
3. Draw a diagonal line from the peak of the stem down to Point A.
4. Determine the angle of this line in degrees (forward angle = enter as a positive
number, backward angle – enter as a negative.

The remaining entry boxes are used to enter the freeboard at normal displacement of the hull
at strategic points. As most warships in the period from 1850 to 1950 have little sheer except
for possibly on the forecastle, the calculation of the average freeboard between these points
assumes a uniform rise or fall eg if the freeboard at 8 is 10 feet and at 6 is 8 feet then the
average freeboard between these points is assumed to be 9 feet. On the forecastle the average
freeboard is adjusted because it is assumed that the sheer will rise at an increasing rate closer
to the stem eg using the same figures as before the average freeboard between 12 and 13 is
assumed to be 8.8 feet.

How to use this page – Simple:

Once you have entered the length, beam and draught click on the default button. This will fill
in a reasonable freeboard based on the RN rule of thumb formula giving a generally dry ship
with a flush deck and a forward sheer starting on the forecastle. The sheer height is affected
by the construction date. You can then modify this to suit.

Once you have entered the all weaponry and engines then you can adjust the quarterdeck (Box
4) and forecastle (Box 10) percentage to the advised percentage in the lower right corner.
Then go to the armour page and press its Default button to fill in reasonable armour belt
heights and lengths. These can also be modified to suit.

How to use this page – Advanced:

1 If you want to just enter an average freeboard as per SpringStyle and SpringSharp prior to
version 2.0 then enter the average freeboard in Boxes 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13.

2 If you want no breaks then enter the same freeboard for Boxes 5 & 6 (Quarter break), 8 & 9
(Mid Break) and 11 & 12 (Forecastle break). Eg for a hull that slowly rises to the bow 5 & 6
could be 20 feet, 8 & 9 22 feet and 11 & 12 24 feet.

3 If you want hull breaks enter a different freeboard in the appropriate boxes. Eg for a flat hull
with a mid break enter 4.6 metres in boxes aft of the break (2, 5, 6 & 8) and 7.7 metres in
boxes forward of the break (9, 11, 12 & 13). If the Mid break occurs 40 metres back from the
bow of a 100 metre hull then enter 40% in box 7.

4 If you want the hull to drop forward of the break then enter a higher figure in the aft of
break box than the forward of break box.

5 Use the percentage of length boxes for the quarterdeck and forecastle (Boxes 4 & 10) to
control the length of the main armour belt and/or length devoted to fuel, engines, drives, guns

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and magazines (other than light guns). Eg to have a ship with a main armour belt covering
65% of hull length (water) then make the forecastle (Box 10) 20% and the quarterdeck (Box
4) 15%.

6 If you want a pronounced sheer first determine if this should be for the forecastle or if it
starts further aft. Eg for a flat hull with a pronounced sheer forward of the main gun enter 15
feet for boxes 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 & 12 and 25 feet for box 13. For a flat hull with a pronounced
sheer starting aft of the main gun enter 4.6 metres for boxes 2, 5, 6, 8 & 9, 5.75 metres for
boxes 11 & 12 and 7.7 metres for box 13. If the sheer starts 120 feet back from the bow of a
300 feet hull then enter 40% in box 7.

7 The Stem Angle (Box 14) and Stern overhang (Box 3) boxes are used to derive the overall
length from the water length of the hull. If the hull has a ram bow and a tumblehome at the
stern then the overall length equals the water length and the angle or “under” hang is only
used for reporting the hull shape. If the ship has a raked Atlantic bow and a stern overhang
then the overall length will be longer than the water length.

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Guns Page
This page is significantly changed from prior releases. It adds another battery, far more choice
of gun types, no restriction of types of gun by what number battery it is as well as being able
to enter the shell weight and number of shells carried per main gun. Whilst it makes little
difference it is preferable that guns be entered in shell calibre / weight order as some
calculations or reporting options assume the main batteries are at the top of the list not the
bottom.

For each battery:

Guns: Number of barrels eg a ship with 3 triple turrets has 9 gun barrels.
Calibre: Diameter of the shell. Note change scale before entering size otherwise changing
scale just converts between inches and millimetres.
Type: Choose from:
 Muzzle loader – Old style gun loaded from the front.
 Breech loader – Gun loaded through breech in the back of the gun
generally slowly with separate shell and charge. Applicable to all early
breech loaders but increasingly restricted to larger shells over time.
 Quick firing – Breech loading gun generally with combined shell and
charge. Started replacing small to medium calibre guns late in the 19th
century. Do not use for large calibre guns called Quick firing because
they had brass cartridge charges instead of bagged charges.
 Anti-air – small to medium calibre high angle gun primarily for
targeting aircraft or balloons.

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 Dual purpose – Medium calibre high angle / low angle gun suitable for
air and surface targets.
 Automatic – modern fast loading automatic medium calibre gun,
sometimes unmanned. Eg HMS Tiger launched 1945 (6”), USS Des
Moines launched 1946 (8”) and USS Worcester launched 1947 (6”).
 Machine gun – light rapid-fire and automatic guns.
Above Freeboard: This replaces the superfiring guns adjustment. Enter the number of barrels
mounted on a deck above freeboard height or that are mounted on a raised
barbettes or other platforms so they can fire over other guns. This affects the
armour weight of full turrets, mounts with armoured barbettes or hoist protection
and stability. Examples
 HMS Dreadnought’s forward turret is mounted one deck higher than
the freeboard at that point to allow the 2 side mounted turrets to fire
forward and still have reasonable freeboard at the forecastle. These 2
12” barrels are high – enter 2 in Above Freeboard.
 HMS King George V (1939) has 3 turrets all mounted on the same
deck at freeboard level. One turret is on a raised barbette to fire over
another. This is a traditional superfiring mount. However this turret
only has 2 guns whilst the rest have 4 each. Enter 2 in Above
Freeboard.
 CSS Virginia has broadside mounts mounted above the freeboard of the
hull. These should be entered as Above Freeboard.
Below Freeboard: This is used for guns mounted below the freeboard. Enter the number of
barrels mounted on a deck below freeboard height. This affects the armour weight
of full turrets, mounts with armoured barbettes or hoist protection and stability.
These guns will be noted as being subject to being washed down in heavy seas.
The comment will be increasing severe the lower the average freeboard is at that
battery’s location.
 HMS Warrior’s Frigate gun arrangement is considered mounted Below
Freeboard, whilst HMS Jason’s Corvette gun arrangement is not.
 Guns in hull casemates eg secondary batteries on many WWI and
earlier battleships are considered to mounted Below Freeboard.
Shell weight: SpringStyle will estimate an average shell weight based on the calibre and date
of a gun. This amount can be increased or decreased (within limits) to allow for
variations. Eg many US WWII guns fired relatively heavy shells such as the 16”
on USS Iowa, the 8” on USS Des Moines but the 5”/38 shell was lighter than
average.
Year: Enter the year the model of the gun in each battery was first designed. Enter this
after you enter the date the ship was laid down but before you enter the specific
battery’s shell weight.
Broadside weight: This is not a true broadside weight being the maximum weight of shells
able to be fired at one broadside target, it is instead the total weight of shells if
every barrel fired one shot each regardless of direction.
Shells per main gun: Enter the total number of shells per gun in the magazines for the main
battery. Versions prior to 2.0 assumed 150 shells per barrel for each battery. This
version allows this to be changed and also scales up the number of shells for other
batteries by (1 + 1/Calibre in inches) x the number of main gun shells.
Magazine weight: Calculation based on shells per gun, weight of shells increased by around
25% to include the cordite or equivalent charge.

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Armament weight: Calculation based on average weight of the non-fixed parts of the gun
including loading mechanisms of guns relative to their calibre and adjusted for
date. This calculation has been confirmed empirically as having only a small
standard deviation compared to actual weights as per John Campbell.

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Weapons Page
This new page leaves space to include aircraft, mines and anti submarine weapons in a later
release.

Gun Mounts
Gun Mounts: Enter the number of gun mountings eg for a ship with 8 – 8” guns in twin
turrets enter 4 gun mounts.
Mount Type: Choose from:
 Broadside – Basic broadside mount firing through a fixed gunport eg
guns on HMS Warrior
 Turret (full) – Coles or Ericsson style turret eg as on HMS Captain
(Coles) and USS Monitor (Ericsson). Very heavy weight penalty
especially without low freeboard – so much so that both these ships
were lost due to limited freeboard.
 Open barbette – Gun and shell handling protected by an armoured fixed
barbette ring around the rotating mount body but the guns themselves
are open and exposed.
 Turret & barbette – Modern turret – Gun and shell handling protected
by an armoured fixed barbette ring around the rotating mount body,
guns protected by an armoured rotating gun house. This gun house can
be open at the back.
 Mount & hoist – Ring mount gun with integrated shell handling hoist
below gun. This mount can, but does not have to have an armoured or

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partially armoured gun house and armour to protect the hoist below
decks.
 Deck mount – Pivot or ring mounted gun with no integrated shell
handling hoist. This mount can, but does not have to have an armoured
or partially armoured gun house.
 Casemate mount – Pivot or ring mount gun that may have integrated
shell handling all behind an armoured casemate. Armour restricted to
face and hoist. All side and low mounted guns that are not broadside
mounts will be considered to be casemate mounts.
Mount Type: Choose from:
 Centreline – distributed – Eg Main guns on the Battle cruiser HMS
Tiger. Mounts are spread along length of the centreline. If there are 3 or
4 such mounts then ship has strength benefits due to central mount
being between engine spaces.
 Centreline - ends (equal/fore > aft) – Eg Main guns on the Battleship
USS Iowa. Standard main gun arrangement with mounts at either end
of the superstructures on the centreline. If there are an even number of
mounts then they are evenly spread otherwise the odd mount is
assumed to be forward Eg Bismarck (even) and USS Iowa fore > aft)
 Centreline - ends (aft > fore) – Eg Main guns on German Köln class
Light Cruisers. Mounts are at either end of the superstructures on the
centreline. If there are an even number of mounts then they are evenly
spread otherwise the odd mount is assumed to be aft eg Bismarck
(even) and Köln (aft > fore)
 Centreline - grouped forward – Eg Main guns on the Battleship HMS
Nelson. All mounts are on the centreline forward of the mid break.
 Centreline - grouped centre – Eg single 4.5” on RN 1943 Battle class
Destroyer. All mounts are on the centreline mounted centrally. The
freeboard height for these guns is the average height fore and aft of the
mid breaks.
 Centreline - grouped aft – Eg aft Secondary guns on HMS Inflexible.
All mounts are on the centreline mounted aft of the mid break.
 Side - distributed – Used for broadside and casemate mounts or
relatively evenly distributed minor guns Mounts spread along sides. If
there are 3 or 4 heavy mounts then ship has strength benefits due to
central mount being between engine spaces like HMS Tiger.
 Side - ends (equal/fore > aft) – Eg secondary guns in a Broadside
Ironclad or guns mounted at each corner of the superstructure as on the
Italian Battleship Littoria. Side mounts at either end of the deck. If
there are an even number of mounts then they are evenly spread
otherwise the odd mount is assumed to be forward
 Side - ends (aft > fore) – Eg secondary guns in a Broadside Ironclad or
guns mounted at each corner of the superstructure as on the Italian
Battleship Littoria. Side mounts at either end of the deck. If there are an
even number of mounts then they are evenly spread otherwise the odd
mount is assumed to be aft
 Side - grouped forward – Eg secondary forward casemated guns on the
Battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth. Side mounts are forward of the mid
hull break or point (Box 8 & 9 on the Freeboard page).

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 SpringSharp Version 2.1 December 2004

 Side - grouped centre – Eg 5.25” batteries on RN WWII battleships.

Side mounts amidships eg the main weapons of a broadside ship or a
Central battery ship.
 Side - grouped aft – Eg secondary battery on the Battleship HMS
Nelson. Side mounts are aft of the mid hull break or point (Box 8 & 9
on the Freeboard page).
 Forward - limited arc – Eg Main gun on the South Australian Gunboat
HMCS Protector. Forward firing limited arc gunboat gun or chaser
Torpedoes
Above water: Enter number of torpedo tubes mounted above the waterline. This includes
deck mounted tubes as on many Destroyers as well as side mounted tubes
launched through a break in the hull as on some Japanese cruisers. This reduces
the available space for accommodation and workspaces.
Submerged: Enter number of torpedo tubes mounted below the waterline. This reduces the
available space for machinery and magazines.
Diameter: Enter the diameter of the torpedo. Change scale before entering size.
Deckspace: Calculation of the reduction in space available for accommodation and
workspace as a result of above water mounted torpedo tubes.
Hullspace: Calculation of the reduction in space available for machinery and magazines as a
result of underwater mounted torpedo tubes.
Misc weight: Weight not devoted to other recognised components. Used for cargo, aircraft,
mines, radar, passenger etc. Weight is assumed to take up space within the hull.

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Armour Page
This page is significantly updated from the previous release
Maximum thickness in inches/mm: All armour except deck and side / top gun armour is
entered as the maximum for the area. Change scale before entering any
measurements
Belts and Bulkheads
Simple Instructions: After entering hull size, weaponry and engines, you can accept 65% of
length as a reasonable belt length or adjust the percentage length of the forecastle and
quarterdeck on the Freeboard page then click the default button on this page. This will fill in
the length being the distance between the forecastle and quarterdeck and a reasonable height,
being the lower of 1.2 x Square root of the beam and estimated side draught + average
freeboard between the quarter deck and forecastle for the belts and the estimated side draught
for the torpedo bulkhead. Then enter the maximum thickness of the belts your ship desires.
The lengths and heights can all be modified to suit.

The Performance page gives a percentage of normal area that is the minimum required “vital
space” for engines and magazines based on a normal vital space length of 65%. For example
in a 153.85 metre ship the normal vital space is 153.85 x 0.65 = 100 metres. Where a ship is
very long, does not have many large guns or has a low speed requirement etc. it may have a
low minimum percentage of length required for vital spaces. If this is 76% or 76 metres then
this is less than half the length of the hull. If you too aggressively shrink the main belt length
to this low percentage then you are stating that the main belt protects under half the ship and
that all machinery and magazines are squashed into the smallest space possible. Both these
will result in a ship with restricted ability to sustain battle damage. The first due to large

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 SpringSharp Version 2.1 December 2004
unprotected areas, the second due to not taking advantage of the vital space requirements to
improve compartmentalisation of the vital space.

Advanced Instructions:
Main belt: Normally covers engine and magazine spaces including the transverse bulkheads
between the belts. Weight calculation adjusted to reflect the shorter bulkheads at
the end of the belts due to hull taper.
End belts: Extensions to the main belt towards the bow or stern. If the length of the main belt
plus the end belt (if any) is less than the ship length then ends are noted as
unarmoured. If the length of the main belt plus the end belt (if any) is greater than
the ship length then a warning is noted.
Upper belt: Belt above the main belt. Weight calculation includes transverse bulkheads as in
main belt. These belts are assumed to cover the gun ports of a Frigate style
Ironclad eg HMS Warrior.
Torpedo bulkhead: Longitudinal bulkhead inboard and lower than the main belt to limit
torpedo damage. If the ship is bulged then the armour thickness of the bulge is
added to the bulkhead thickness.
Length: The default length of the main belt, upper belt and torpedo bulkhead is the water
length of the hull x (1 - % of quarterdeck and forecastle length to water length).
The default for the end belt is water length - main belt length
Height: The default height for the main belt and end belts is the lower of 1.2 x the square
root of the beam or the estimated draught of the side of the ship amidships above
the bilge radius based on the Keslen formula for Midship section area coefficient.
The default height of the upper belt is the lower of the average freeboard between
the forecastle and the quarterdeck or 8 feet. The default height of the torpedo
bulkhead is the estimated draught of the side of the ship amidships above the bilge
radius.
Gun Armour
Gun armour weight is dependant on the type of gun, location, height, and guns in each mount
as well as the inputs in this area. Each gun’s armour is now calculated the same regardless of
which battery is in.
Broadside gun: In general a broadside gun will not have any armour. An Armoured Frigate
style Broadside or Central Battery Ironclad will have its main guns behind the
upper belt. Other guns will generally not be behind armour. Most Corvettes were
not armoured. Armour will only be applicable to guns above any belt but behind
their own armour. The armour calculation is 35% of the normal armour
calculation based on the face armour only.
Turret (Full): Armour should only be entered in the face (being the horizontal surface) and
the other above deck (being the armour on the top (if any)). The calculation
applies a steep penalty for high freeboard on this type of mount
Open Barbette: Armour should only be entered for the Barbette thickness here. The
calculation applies 80% of the penalty for a full turret for high freeboard on this
type of mount.
Turret & Barbette: Armour must be entered in the face (being the front of the gun house) and
the barbette. If no armour is entered for the other above deck (average of all other
gun house armour) armour then the gun house is considered open at the back. The
calculation applies 80% of the penalty for an open barbette for high freeboard on
this type of mount, as the top of the barbette ring is generally lower and the ring
generally smaller for this type of mount. This is offset by the additional weight of
the gunhouse armour.

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Deck mount: The face armour is the front of the gunhouse, other above deck armour is the
average of all other gunhouse armour. The gunhouse armour is calculated as per
the gunhouse above but the hoist armour (if applicable) is only 20% of the
barbette armour weight.
Casemate: The armour calculation is 35% of the normal armour calculation based on the face
plus hoist armour (if any) as a Deck mount

Other Armour
Armour Deck:
Conning Tower: The weight calculation is based on an average 10,000-ton ship having a
conning tower that is 20 ft x 15 ft semicircular sides and 10 ft high. The size of
the conning tower changes proportionally to (displacement / 10,000)^2/3.

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Engines Page
This page has not significantly changed from the previous version. Hence it still calculates the
power and weight needs of a ship in line with SpringStyle. The only changes are as a result of
changes on the hull page, specifically for transom sterns and waterplane area. The next major
upgrade will have new calculations to better take into account the different engine options and
development of engines over the time period

Max Speed: Normal maximum speed in knots with a relatively clean hull, that is not
maximum trial speed with light load and more than operationally viable force
draughting of boilers as sometimes done to give high trial speeds.
Cruising Speed: Cruising speed for range calculation. SpringSharp will cap this to less than
or equal to maximum speed. Generally 10 knots or less in mid 19th century to 15
to 18 knots in mid 20th Century.
Range: Maximum range of the ship in nautical miles at the desired cruising speed.
o
N of Shafts: Number of propeller shafts. Average power per shaft is capped at 75,000 shaft
horsepower or 55,950 Kilowatts. Changing the number of shafts can change the
waterplane area. The maximum power per shaft in future releases will be capped
by the type of engine and the year the engine was made based on empirical
evidence.
% of bunker for coal: Percentage of bunker weight devoted to coal. Coal has a lower calorific
value per ton than oil so more tons of coal are required for the same range or
power. Early ships up to 1897 will be exclusively coal (100%) and most latter
ships from WW1 onwards will be exclusively oil. In the intervening period the
percentage of oil to coal will be increasing.

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Fuel: Fuel can be selected as:
 Coal fires boilers for steam engines
 Oil fired boilers for steam engines from 1898
 Diesel motors from 1904
 Petrol motors from 1898. This would include Kerosene
 Batteries from 1898. Will need a generator fuel as well eg a diesel electric
submarine.
Different combinations of fuels can selected, eg:
 Diesel and battery for a diesel electric submarine,
 Coal and oil fired boilers, or
 Coal and oil fired boilers for high-speed engines plus diesel for cruising
engines.
Future releases will better differentiate the efficiency and engine weight of latter
available choices.

Engines: These options refer only to steam engines, as other fuels do not have separate
boilers, engines and drives. Engines can be selected as:
 Simple Reciprocating: Early pre-triple expansion engines.
 Complex Reciprocating: Later steam engines from 1885. Most warships were
fitted with triple expansion engines but some liners had quad expansion
engines.
 Steam Turbines: Impulse or reaction steam turbines from 1898
Future releases will cap the maximum average power per shaft depending on the
year and type of engine.

Drives: All ships are driven by propellers on one or more shafts. Drives can be selected
as:
 Direct: The propeller rotates at the same revolutions as the engine.
 Geared: The propeller rotates at lower revolutions than the engine giving
significant fuel savings especially for steam turbines. Available from 1911.
 Electric: Engines drive a generator and electricity from here powers electric
drives on the shaft. Available from 1898.
 Hydraulic: Engines drive a hydraulic pump and hydraulic power from here
drives the shaft. Available from 1904.
Future releases will cap the maximum average power per shaft and better
differentiate between the efficiency and drive weight of latter available choices.

Power @ max speed / Power @ cruising speed: Power in horsepower (ihp for reciprocating
engines, shp for others) and kilowatts needed to drive the ship at the desired
respective speeds. This is determined with reference to the displacement, effective
length, block coefficient, hull design based on date, resistance from the wetted
surface area (friction) and resistance from wave formation (power lost).
Power to wave: Proportion of total resistance due to wave formation
Wave resistance: Calculation of wave resistance as displacement0.6667 / water length x coSharp
x maximum speed4. Wave resistance increases as speed increases.
Friction resistance: Calculation of wetted surface area friction resistance as wetted surface
area / 100 x maximum speed1.83.
Engine displacement for machinery: Calculation of the total displacement required for main
and auxiliary engines and the hull space to carry these.

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Engine weight: Calculation of the weight of the main engines.
Load weight: Calculation of total weight of fuel, magazines and ship’s stores at normal
displacement
Bunker: Calculation of total weight of fuel at normal displacement. Note bunker is not full
at normal displacement.
Hull weight: Calculation of remaining weight at normal displacement after subtracting the
weight of the guns, armour, main and auxiliary. Load weight and miscellaneous
weights. Insufficient hull weight will affect the strength, stability and sea keeping
of the ship.
Displacement factor: Adjustment factor to reduce engine weight in highly stressed ship less
than 5,000 tons. A highly stressed ship is one with high proportion of weight
devoted to guns, armour, miscellaneous weight and engines.

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Performance Page
This page has not significantly changed from the previous version except that all the changes
above are ultimately reflected in figures on this page.

Stability, seakeeping, damage sustainability and room:

The only input on this page is to adjust the balance of the design between one that is statically
stable with high margins of flotation and is therefore able to absorb a lot of damage and a
design that is steady in rough seas, able right itself well with a good metacentric height and
therefore has good seakeeping. This is done by entering a figure between 0 and 100 either
through the number entry box or by using the slide control. A number less than 50 will
emphasise stability and the ability to handle damage, greater than 50 will emphasise
steadiness as a gun platform and seakeeping ability.

Left hand attributes

Stability: A relative calculation of the effect of vertical weights especially the conning
tower, height of guns, armour weight, miscellaneous weights and engine weight
above the waterline, freeboard height. Increasing the beam or increasing low
down weight such armour belts and bulkheads other than upper belts and engines
improves stability. Stability of less than 1.00 will give a high risk of capsizing
comment in the final report. If this is coupled with a poor metacentric height then
low stability and poor righting will result in a ship that almost certainly will
capsize.
Flotation: Estimation of the pounds of non-critical shell hits required to sink or otherwise
destroy the ship based on the displacement plus the volume of the hull above the

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waterline up to average freeboard between the forecastle and quarterdeck. This is
reduced if the ship has Frigate style broadside mounts or is crowded below the
waterline.
Recoil: A relative calculation of the ability of the ship to handle her weight of gunfire. If
the ship has a rating greater than 1.00 then she will have a restricted ability to fire
her guns. This is improved by reducing the number guns, the weight of gun shells,
increasing displacement, reducing freeboard between the forecastle and
quarterdeck, mounting guns lower, increasing the beam or adding bulges.
Maximum shell hits: Number of standard non-critical shell hits either of the same calibre as
the main battery or 6 inch /152 mm if the ship has no main battery. This is based
on the flotation calculation.
Maximum torpedo hits: Similar to the above except that it is based on a standard 20” torpedo
non critical hit and is adjusted to take into account the beam (including bulges),
the existence of transverse torpedo bulkheads, the roominess of machinery and
magazine spaces and whether there are submerged torpedo tubes in the hull.

Right hand attributes

Steadiness: A relative calculation of dynamic hull steadiness in an open sea based on the trim
adjustment x seakeeping. If this is 70 or greater then the ship is a very good steady
gun platform. If less than 30 then the ship too easily becomes unsteady to be a
good gun platform. Steadiness can only be improved by the trim or by improving
seakeeping.
Metacentric height: A measure of vertical equilibrium. The metacentric height must be above
the centre of gravity to allow the ship to right herself after rocking. A negative
metacentric height means the ship will capsize. Metacentric height can be
improved by increasing the beam (including bulges) or by the trim adjustment.
Seakeeping: A relative calculation of the sea keeping ability of the ship. A rating of 1.5 or
more is an excellent seaboat. 1.2 to 1.5 is a good seaboat, 1.0 to 1.2 average, 0.7
to 1.0 poor and less than 0.7 a bad seaboat. Seakeeping can be improved by
increasing the freeboard, increasing the length, reducing the beam (including
bulges, reducing the block coefficient, reducing the draught, reducing the armour
belts at either end, reducing the hull weight, gun weight or gun armour or gun
height.

Roominess attributes
Hull space: Proportional measure of weights of engines, guns, magazines, miscellaneous
weights, ships stores, torpedo bulkheads and hull mounted torpedoes to
displacement to estimate the minimum length of the “vitalspace” needed to
contain these relative to a norm of 65% of water length. If the minimum hull
space required is 831/3% or less then the room for magazines, stores and
machinery is excellent and a high level of compartmentisation is possible.
Between 111.11% and 831/3% it is adequate, 200% and 111.11% cramped and
over 200% extremely cramped. Hull space x 65% x Length (water) is compared to
the length of the main belt to determine if the belt is able to cover the vitalspace.
Accommodation & workspace: A relative measure of hull space based on waterplane area,
freeboard and displacement adjusted for above water torpedoes. If the space is
120% then the deck and above water hull space is excellent. Between 90% and
120% it is adequate, between 50% and 90%, cramped and less than 50%
extremely cramped. Increasing waterplane area and freeboard between the

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forecastle and quarterdeck or reducing above water torpedoes or displacement
improves this space.

Displacement, cost and strength:

Maximum (t): Displacement at full load. Includes full bunker, magazines, feedwater and
stores.
Normal (t): Designed normal displacement.
Standard (t): Standardised displacement as per the London and Washington Naval treaties.
No Bunkerage or reserve feedwater.
Light (t): Displacement at light load. No bunkerage, magazine or stores.
Weight Sq ft of hull: Structural weight calculation that affects strength. Based on hull weight,
wetted surface, length, freeboard and Waterplane Area.
Cost ($ & £): Estimation of cost to build
Cross sectional strength: Relative measure of cross sectional strength that combines with
longitudinal strength to create the composite strength
Longitudinal strength: Relative measure of longitudinal strength that combines with cross
sectional strength to create the composite strength
Composite strength: The overall control measure to calculate whether the ship being simmed
is possible. The objective is to ensure that the strength measure is 1.00 for a ship
over 4000 tons (eg a cruiser or battleship) or between 0.5 and 1.00 for a smaller
ship.

If composite strength cannot be measured (i.e. SpringSharp displays “NaN”

instead of a number then the design is incomplete.

If a ship is less than 0.5 then the ship is too insubstantial to carry all the
armament, engines and fuel it is designed with.

A ship with a strength greater than 1.00 is under engineered, in other words it is a
big empty ship that is poorly armed or too slow or is without adequate protection.

If you wish to sim a ship that carries things other than as available above (e.g.
cargo, aircraft or ASW weapons) then add this as miscellaneous weight and enter
details of these in the Additional notes on the Report page thereby ensuring that
the composite strength is 1.00 (or between 0.5 and 1.00 for small ships).

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Report Page
The objective of SpringSharp is to provide a report on the likely characteristics and
specification of the simmed ship. This report can be posted on a variety of sites and discussed.
To do this, make sure that the ship is complete (i.e. the Composite strength is 1.00 or between
0.5 and 1.00 for a ship less than 4,000 tons) then run the report. Select all of the text using the
menu or manually and copy this. Paste the report in the discussion board reply window

The following is an example of a report on the German WWII battleship, Bismarck.

Bismarck, Deutschland Battleship laid down 1936

Displacement:
40,064 t light; 42,084 t standard; 46,674 t normal; 50,346 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught

820.21 ft / 792.49 ft x 118.11 ft x 30.51 ft (normal load)
250.00 m / 241.55 m x 36.00 m x 9.30 m

Armament:
8 - 14.96" / 380 mm guns (4x2 guns), 1,763.70lbs / 800.00kg shells, 1934 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
12 - 5.91" / 150 mm guns (6x2 guns), 102.98lbs / 46.71kg shells, 1928 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on side, evenly spread
16 - 4.13" / 105 mm guns (8x2 guns), 35.32lbs / 16.02kg shells, 1933 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
16 - 1.46" / 37.0 mm guns (8x2 guns), 1.55lbs / 0.70kg shells, 1930 Model

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Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
16 - 0.79" / 20.0 mm guns (10 mounts), 0.29lbs / 0.13kg shells, 1930 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, 14 raised mounts
Weight of broadside 15,940 lbs / 7,230 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 120

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 12.6" / 320 mm 562.34 ft / 171.40 m 16.40 ft / 5.00 m
Ends: 2.76" / 70 mm 229.33 ft / 69.90 m 9.51 ft / 2.90 m
0.82 ft / 0.25 m Unarmoured ends
Upper: 5.71" / 145 mm 562.34 ft / 171.40 m 7.22 ft / 2.20 m
Main Belt covers 109 % of normal length

- Torpedo Bulkhead:
1.77" / 45 mm 562.34 ft / 171.40 m 30.05 ft / 9.16 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)

Main: 14.2" / 360 mm 7.09" / 180 mm 13.4" / 340 mm
2nd: 3.94" / 100 mm 1.30" / 33 mm 3.15" / 80 mm
3rd: 0.79" / 20 mm 0.39" / 10 mm 0.79" / 20 mm

- Armour deck: 5.02" / 128 mm, Conning tower: 13.78" / 350 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 3 shafts, 137,994 shp / 102,944 Kw = 28.67 kts
Range 8,525nm at 19.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 8,261 tons

Complement:
1,587 - 2,064

Cost:
£18.680 million / $74.720 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:

Armament: 1,903 tons, 4.1 %
Armour: 17,160 tons, 36.8 %
- Belts: 6,165 tons, 13.2 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 1,108 tons, 2.4 %
- Armament: 3,305 tons, 7.1 %
- Armour Deck: 6,198 tons, 13.3 %
- Conning Tower: 385 tons, 0.8 %
Machinery: 3,872 tons, 8.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 17,046 tons, 36.5 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 6,610 tons, 14.2 %
Miscellaneous weights: 83 tons, 0.2 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:

Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
79,862 lbs / 36,225 Kg = 47.7 x 15.0 " / 380 mm shells or 14.4 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.26
Metacentric height 9.7 ft / 3.0 m
Roll period: 15.9 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 50 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.30
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.05

Hull form characteristics:

Hull has a flush deck
Block coefficient: 0.572
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.71 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 28.15 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 50 %

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Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 47
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 32.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 9.68 ft / 2.95 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 28.87 ft / 8.80 m
- Forecastle (16 %): 21.16 ft / 6.45 m
- Mid (50 %): 18.60 ft / 5.67 m
- Quarterdeck (13 %): 21.16 ft / 6.45 m
- Stern: 22.31 ft / 6.80 m
- Average freeboard: 20.82 ft / 6.35 m
Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:

Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 71.1 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 159.1 %
Waterplane Area: 66,686 Square feet or 6,195 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 116 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 196 lbs/sq ft or 959 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.99
- Longitudinal: 1.07
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent

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Technical Reference
SpringSharp uses a number of formulas that are used by professional naval architects to
underpin its structure as well as empirical correlations based on real world examples.
L Length. Whilst it is normal in naval architecture to use waterline length or the length
between the perpendiculars and then adjust for the type, volume and shape of bow or
stern sections, SpringSharp assumes that all ships likely to be simmed have normal
bows and sterns and it therefore uses the maximum underwater length
B Maximum underwater Beam (including bulges)
T Maximum underwater draught (excluding sonar domes etc)
Ton Volume in cubic feet of 1 ton of sea water = 35
LBTC B
Δ Displacement (normal) =
Ton

CB Block Coefficient = T
LB
Ton
Cm Midship section area Coefficient (Keslen) = 1.006  0.0056C B3.56
CB
CP Prismatic Coefficient =
CM
CWP Waterplane area Coefficient (Parsons)
1. Single propeller shaft, cruiser stern = 0.175 + 0.875CP
2. Multiple propeller shafts, cruiser stern = 0.262 + 0.760CP
3. Transom Stern = 0.262 + 0.810CP
WP Waterplane area = LBCWP
Ton
WS Wetted surface area (Mumford) = LT 1.7 
T
L
L:B Length to Beam Ratio =
B
1/ 3
B   CB 
CS Sharpness Coefficient = 0.4 6   
L   0.52 
B
LTS Resistance at high speed adjustment for Transom stern = C  L
S

VN Natural Speed based on length adjusted for Transom stern = LTS

TS Draught at side =  2C M  1T

Crew Maximum = 0.650.75 , Minimum = 0.50.75

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Laid, Engine, gun date Adjustment due to respective date to some related calculations
 
 1890  date  
based on date = if date < 1890 = 1  , otherwise = 1
 2 
 100  
 3 

Default freeboard at stem 1.1   0.51  Hulldate    L

Default freeboard elsewhere 0.7 L

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