The history of Naval Architects

The education of naval architects in Sweden can be dated back to the 18th century. The history of naval architecture starts with Fredrik Chapman, who was born in Sweden 1721 into a navy and shipbuilding family. He went to England to learn the new mathematics from Professor Simpson in London. The combination of excellent knowledge of differential calculus and interest in ship design made Chapman a well-known naval architect of his time. The first school based on the ideas of Chapman was military, but already in the 19th century this school gave birth to the first civil institute of naval architecture in Karlskrona in South Sweden. This school was transferred to Göteborg 1870, where a new shipbuilding era could already be foreseen, and the school was incorporated with Chalmers 1887.

The Department of Shipping and Marine Technology

The first academic professor in naval architecture at Chalmers was appointed 1914. Chalmers early received full university status. From 1960 and onwards there were three departments, one for each of the activities practical shipbuilding (ship design and ship structures), ship hydrodynamics (stability, resistance and propulsion) and marine engineering (engine systems). These activities merged into one, The Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, in early 1990’s. Since 2005, the activites at the Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering are included in the new department Shipping and Marine technology.

Need for Naval Architects in the Region and Worldwide

Most of the Swedish shipyards closed down their workshops in mid 80´s as a result of a deep recession. At that time a large number of competitive subcontractors were active on the export market with products developed by Swedish naval architects. These products include offshore platforms (technology), propellers, and water jets, hatch covers, marine electronics, ventilation systems, lifting equipment and other cargo handling equipment and yachts. This spectrum of products still continues to take large shares of the world market. There is a continued need for naval architects not only world wide, but also in our region.

Output from Chalmers education and impact on society

Every year for more than a century about 20 students have received their education to be naval architects at Chalmers. This education has been developed as a result of a dialogue between the industry and our university to a mixture of analysis and synthesis, which has been much appreciated also outside our profession by e.g. car manufactures and aircraft builders.

Our naval architects have reached qualified professional positions in Sweden and other parts of the world in shipyards, consult firms, and sub contractors of ship equipment, classification societies, insurance companies and ship owner's offices, the navy and the national maritime authority and IMO.