A high speed ferry designed using the computer tools shownbelow.
Ocean engineering is a diverse field.
At Virginia Tech, the major focus areas are ocean vehicles and structures including ships, advanced marine vehicles, offshore platforms and submarines. The flow of water around a ship's hull, into the propeller and over the rudder are critical to its performance, as are stability, slamming and minimizing resistance. Loads on ocean vehicles are severe, ranging from extreme diving pressures to huge storm waves, to thousands of tons of cargo. Finite element analysis is used to design structures to withstand these loads. An understanding of the motions of ships in a seaway and ship maneuverability is important to designing a functional and comfortable ship.