Ship Survivability

ROI Defense Associates' experts have been involved in ship survivability design, testing and analysis for over 30 years. ROI Members have expertise in a broad range of ship survivability issues, including :

Ship Casualty Investigation

ROI Associates members have extensive experience in Naval ship threat engagements, hit point determination, weapon effects, shipboard systems, and Navy operational procedures. Our expertise has been called on many times to support US Navy investigations into shipboard casualties, and the resulting development of product and process enhancements. Members of ROI have supported assessments of the USS STARK firefighting enhancement evaluation, Ex-USS CARON Weapon Effect Test Sinking, and USS COLE damage assessment.

As a service to the Navy, ROI Defense Associates has developed a Lessons Learned Database, which contains an overview of findings and recommendations developed from multiple actual casualties, ship survivability testing, and survivability analyses.  We provide the Navy with the knowledge, understanding and expertise needed to perform ship casualty investigations in a manner that enhances the Navy’s ability to fight and come home safely.

Live Fire Test & Evaluation

Members of ROI have supported Navy ship LFT&E programs from the inception of the legislative mandate to Navy ships, in 1993. ROI members were core participants of the first Naval ship LFT&E program (DDG 51 Class), and continue to design LFT&E programs to suit the needs of our many Program Office sponsors.

We have been instrumental in the development and custom application of all core ship LFT&E facets, including Modeling & Simulation, Weapon Effect Testing, Damage Scenario Based Engineering Analysis, Lesson Learned Design Comparisons, Total Ship Survivability Trials, Shock Trials, etc. Key ROI efforts include: development of DDG & DD(X) LFT&E program, verification, validation, and comparison of ship survivability computer models; conduct of Ex-USS RALEIGH/Ex-USS CARON/Ex-USS PETERSON M&S validation weapon effect test, etc. 

Our experience in LFT&E, combined with our expertise in actual Ship Casualty Investigations and System Survivability Design, make ROI the ideal choice for Navy ship LFT&E program development and conduct.  ROI currently provides LFT&E support services to PMS 500 for the DDG1000.

System Design for Survivability

Members of ROI have participated in many projects dedicated to development, evaluation and testing of survivable ship systems. Our expertise covers the gambit of ship systems, including electrical, cooling, and damage control systems.

We specialize in identification of cost-effective methods for implementation and enhancement of survivable ship systems, ranging from development of quick start procedures (to expedite reconfiguration), to weapon-based determination of equipment stand off requirements (to ensure primary and alternate equipment cannot be damaged by the same threats). 

Members of ROI have performed several high profile system design survivability efforts for the US Navy, including: USS COLE Lessons Learned assessment, Autonomic Fire Suppression System Weapon Effect testing, Integrated Power System survivability assessment, chairmanship of the Chilled Water Survivability Working Group, development of the automated system alignment and reconfiguration programs, etc.

Our expertise in system design for survivability, together with our experience in Ship Casualty Investigation and Live Fire Test & Evaluation , make ROI Associates the ideal choice for Naval ship system survivability design tasking.

Survivability Analysis Tools (M&S)

Engineering assessment of battle damage scenarios are manpower intensive. This drastically restricts the number of realistic scenarios that can be evaluated for each ship class, and delays performance of the analysis until after the ship systems are already well defined (after installation on the first ship). This is unfortunate, because the overwhelming majority of findings from survivability evaluations concentrate on system improvements (design and procedures). Delays in finding these survivability enhancements make them very difficult and costly to implement. 

ROI’s technical experts have participated in the design, development and enhancement of many Modeling & Simulation tools now being used by the Navy, including: ASCM Cruise Missiles, Coupled Thermodynamic and Hydrodynamic Code, DYNA, Dynamic Systems Mechanical Advanced Simulation, Hull Whipping Model, Naval Mine Warfare Simulation, Radar Target Signature, ShipIR, Advanced Survivability Assessment Program, Integrated Recoverability Model, Total Mine Simulation System, Underwater Shock Analysis model, Mega Recoverability Model, etc.

ROI's familiarity with these M&S tools and expertise in verification, validation and accreditation makes ROI the ideal choice for sponsors looking to select, develop or enhance Naval ship survivability analysis tools. Currently, ROI is developing new M&S tools under our contracts to PMS 500 and to ONR.

 ROI Defense Associates has extensive experience in shipboard mechanical systems, and our members have been involved in this field for close to 20 years.

Operational Evaluation

Our experience includes all phases of shipboard states: Maintenance, Operation, Training and Damage Control. We have experts who have experience with all mechanical shipboard systems and have supported tasking that included evaluating heat-load analysis, system inspections, system evaluation procedures, and determination of optimal corrective actions.

While we have experience with all mechanical shipboard systems, we currently specialize in the Electronic Cooling Water and Chilled Water Systems by supporting the Navy’s Cooling Water In-service Engineering Agent, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division Code 9233 located at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

Design and Training

ROI was an integral part in the design of the Chilled Water System Automation on DDG107. We provided all technical details on the systems optimal automation within the requirements of the Government sponsor and was a primary participant in the Automation Working Group and will continue to support the design development and testing of the automated system.

We developed crew PRECOM and in-service training for Chilled Water System and support shipboard Chilled Water System training for DDG51 class hulls.

Operation and Maintenance

ROI supports NSWCCD in all areas from shipboard inspection to system training and preparing briefs on all auxiliary piping systems. We currently performed several technical functions, including: equipment qualification testing, heat-load analysis, system inspections, system evaluation procedures, and crew operational testing

As a participant in the AEGIS class Chilled Water Working Group. ROI was responsible for development of two system realignment class advisories, and performed shipboard training on implementation. We also modified existing operational procedures to improve AC Plant operational readiness, and Combat System survivability.

Casualty Repair

ROI personnel participated on the USS COLE Incident Analysis Team as Hull, Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) Team Members. Duties included shipboard inspections and crew interviews to document shipboard system damage, analyze the systems designs to support recovery and develop system and procedural recommendations to improve system operation and survivability.

We were tasked as the HM&E System Team Leader for the Survivability Review Group (SRG). This program resulted from tasking from the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) tasking a survivability design study be conducted on all naval ships. Responsible for managing all phases of the study from ship checks to recommended changes to developing final report and briefings that was presented to the CNO.

ROI Defense Associates' experts are in great demand for their expertise on shipboard electrical systems. We have extensive knowledge in shipboard electrical system design as well as electrical system survivability and recoverability requirements in support of today’s Navy.

Design and Testing

ROI was an integral part in the development of reconfiguration rules for the Zonal Electrical Distribution system onboard DDG 51 Flight IIA hulls. We have supported development of system enhancements and procedural changes that resulted from lessons learned issues identified from the USS COLE event. Our personnel acted as the electrical system team leader in the survivability design study conducted across multiple ship platforms. Responsibilities included developing shipcheck packages, damage impact assessments, predicting maximum system reconfiguration, recommendations to reduce system vulnerability, and final report development.

We supported the Land-Based Engineering Site (LBES) Risk Reduction project through the development of a test plan for the recently installed Zonal Electric Distribution System (ZEDS), and continue to support testing and upgrades installed at LBES.

ROI also acted as technical lead in the investigation of an electrical power system bus voltage anomaly on DDG 51class ships constructed with a zonal electrical distribution system.

Operation and Maintenance

Our support of system operation and maintenance starts at the Land Based Test Site in Philadelphia and extends shipboard to the fleet. ROI Associates' personnel support NSWCCD as Electrical systems engineers on the Gas Turbine System Land Based Engineering System (GTSLBES) test facility. This facility was constructed to replicate the propulsion and ship service electric plants on the DDG 51 platform. All shipboard changes in equipment, as well as operational and maintenance procedure changes are tested here before they are introduced to the fleet. During construction, ROI personnel were responsible for the integration of switchgear, generator sets, and control systems, as well as the development of test plans to evaluate generator set and switchgear maintenance procedures and system performance. We currently support electric plant operational and maintenance training to engineering DDG Class PRECOM crews as well as verification and analysis of all shipboard proposed changes on the electrical system.

Our electrical system support to the Fleet includes all areas from shipboard inspection to system training and preparing briefs on the shipboard electrical system. We support various technical functions, including: equipment qualification testing, electrical load analysis, system inspections, system evaluation procedures, and determination of optimal corrective actions.