Hydrodynamic interactions between two ships advancing in waves

In this paper the hydrodynamic problems between two moving ships in waves are analyzed using a three-dimensional potential-Row theory based on the source distribution technique. The potential is presented by a distribution of source over the ship hull. The corresponding Green functions and their derivatives can be easily solved numerically by using the series expansions of Telste and Noblesse's algorithm for the Cauchy principal value integral of unsteady flow. The numerical solution is evaluated by applying the present method to two pairs of models and compared with experimental data and strip theory. From the comparisons, it shows that the hydrodynamic interactions are generally important. In the resonance region, the hydrodynamic interaction calculated by the 3D method is more reasonable, which is not so significant as that by the 2D method. The technique developed here may serve as a more rigorous tool to analyze the related problems of two ships doing underway replenishment in waves. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.