ESTABLISHING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF A SURFACE SHIP SURVIVABILITY DESIGN DISCIPLINE

This paper describes a conceptual structure of ship survivability defi nitions and concepts and deals with the need to incorporate a total-sh ip approach to surface ship combat survivability as part of the philos ophy used to guide a ship's design. Included are: A discussion of the increasing emphasis placed on ship survivability during the ship syste m development process. Definitions of the different aspects of ship su rvivability, in order to suggest a coordinated and coherent understand ing of their relationships. A discussion of the value of making surviv ability considerations an integral part of the ship design philosophy, to ensure a requirements-based systems approach to all of the ship's required attributes, including survivability.