Oasis of the Seas: Hull Design

Moving a cruise ship through the ocean takes more than just a powerful engine, it also takes sophisticated engineering and construction. From the biggest innovations to the smallest details, see how the hull design of Oasis of the Seas makes for a smooth ride.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• royal
• caribbean
• oasis
• of
• the
• seas
• allure
• cruise
• ship
• design
• construction
• bow
• architecture
• technology
• naval

[ZeroGal5]

it's nice to know you guys are in better weather. thanks for posting this!

[tupsumato]

@TITANICLUSITANIA, I also read about the 40-year fatigue life and how the design sagging wave-bending moment is around 22 % greater than the current IACS requirement. That definitely requires more steel to keep the longitudinal strength at sufficient level.

Anyway, I wonder how the hull thickness of QM2 compares to other passenger ships than Caribbean cruisers. I bet ships like Finnjet also had a lot of extra steel, at least according to the shipbreaker...

[TITANICLUSITANIA]

@tupsumato Nonetheless, QM2 is build to handle the waves better than any other ship, because she is an Ocean Liner, that has traveled through some of the most dangerous passages on the planet, such as Cape Horn.

[tupsumato]

@TITANICLUSITANIA, I also found several references for 28 mm in parts of the hull, so I stand corrected - for cruise ships the maximum plating thickness is usually around 15-20 mm, and even that's only in some parts of the hull - the side plating might be even less than 10 mm depending on the construction.

I calculated a minimum plating thickness of 25 mm for the keel plate of Oasis of the Seas assuming NV-NS steel, but it's probably ~20 mm since I'm quite sure they used high-strength steel.

[TITANICLUSITANIA]

@tupsumato QM2 steel plating thickness varies in size, the book about QM2 states it's 28mm thick as well as the Genesis of a Queen by Chantiers de 'Atlantique also said the same thing, and they also stated QM2 is the only ship since QE2 to be designed to withstand 40 years of being hit by Atlantic waters while running at high speeds.

[TITANICLUSITANIA]

@tupsumato Cunard, and Chantiers de l' Atlantique only said she would be build with the hull 2 times thicker than that of a cruise ship, obviously because she must endure the heavy seas, where as cruise ships only must endure quieter waters, if you will, so the cruise ship company's spend less money and reduce the hull thickness as they won't need a thick one. Well Cunard New York and most of the rest of the world call it the second age of ocean travel, if you don't well that's your opinion.

[tupsumato]

@TITANICLUSITANIA, I read about the hull thickness being twice as thick as in normal cruise ships, but I'd still like to see some actual numbers - I found couple of websites claiming that the hull plating is only 10 millimeters thick while on another someone claimed to have read about 28 mm in the bow. Someone calling her "SS Queen Mary 2" even claimed the hull to be 2 inches thick, but I'm quite sure that's bullshit. Most just say it's thicker, extra thick, super thick et cetera.

[tupsumato]

@TITANICLUSITANIA, anyone could order an ocean liner and most shipyards could build them, but so far Cunard has been the only one willing to pay the extra for owning and operating them. I won't call it the second golden age before they become mainstream again.

[TITANICLUSITANIA]

@tupsumato Well Cunard is the only one producing Ocean Liners, therefore everyone agrees the second age of ocean travel is taking place. If you don't want to look at it that way well that's your opinion. QE and QV are modified cruise ships. You don't know anything, what you're saying is completely wrong, the sources say QM2 has a hull twice as thick as those installed on cruise ships, so if a normal cruise ship has 10mm plating QM2 has 20mm Plating. You can look it all up.

[tupsumato]

@TITANICLUSITANIA, I wouldn't call one "true" liner and two slightly modified cruise ships, all owned by the same company, "the second golden age of ocean liners". It's also not about numbers, but about the market in general.

I know that QM2 has a stronger hull, but what I meant is that it's not an inch thicker than in other ships - perhaps where a normal cruise ship has 10 mm plating, QM2 has 15 to 20 mm or so. I wonder how it would compare to e.g. Baltic cruiseferries...

[TITANICLUSITANIA]

@tupsumato Second Golden Age Of Ocean Liners is actually happening, with QM2, QV, and QE ruling the seas, that's why the royal rendevous with them was such a big hype recently. QM2 has an extra thick hull, thicker than cruise ships, you can look that up too if you'd want to leave your shell. Millimeters isn't enough, QM2 hull thickness is by far greater than that of cruise ships, it is also stated on the YouTube Video building QM2 that she required double the amount of steal to make.