SHIPBOARD ACOUSTICS INVESTIGATION - WITH SPECIFIC APPLICATION TO CONVERSION OF A CARGO VESSEL INTO THE MARITIME SCHOOLSHIP TS EMPIRE STATE

Shipboard noise control has received attention in naval vessels, while in commercial shipbuilding it has remained in the background of engin eering considerations to a very limited extent by either barely meetin g the existing rules and regulations or satisfying them to the owner's satisfaction by use of alternative methods. Passenger vessels demandi ng customer satisfaction have been the exception and require more soph isticated prediction techniques for stringent noise control. This pape r, while briefly discussing the availability of noise level prediction and control techniques presently used in new ship construction, stres ses the importance of the equally simple methods of applying these tec hniques in identifying critical noise areas and analyzing the effects of methods used in controlling and reducing the noise levels in existi ng vessels. Through improvements to existing vessels or conversion to different type of vessel service, benefits are obtained which increase human comforts and work efficiency without costly studies and expensi ve experimental modeling or statistical analysis data collection techn iques.