Patent ID: 8863678

Claim:
A ship for use at high speed and heavy seas having a single long and slender hull, with a foreship having a bow and an aft end that has a flat or slightly V-shaped bottom with at least one aft rudder and propulsion means comprising either at least one propeller or water jets; wherein the foreship has a draught that is greater than the draught of the aft end; wherein the ship has an automatic steering system to maintain the ship on a preset course when it moves at high speed; wherein the bow has a control surface on which the water flow (F) along the bow of the forward moving ship generates an adjustable lateral force (B); and wherein the automatic steering system is configured such that when the ship is moving forward on the preset course and waves are approaching the aft end from a stern quarter, the steering system activates the control surface to counteract yawing and heeling of the hull caused by the stern quarter waves, thereby maintaining the ship on the preset course.