What Does it Take to Be a Naval Architect?
Naval Architect as a profession Naval Architecture is an art and a science apart from being an Engineering discipline. Naval Architecture encompasses a whole gamut of engineering disciplines and covers Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Structural Engineering, Hydrodynamics, to name only a few.
The building of a ship especially a Warship is the most complex engineering feat ever to be undertaken by man. And the man behind the machine, the Naval Architect, is the man responsible for the final and successful launch of the ship. Hence his mental faculties and physical stamina should be more than a match for the task he is entrusted with.
Skills required of a good Naval Architect
i). Good at conceptualization. Should have a creative bent of mind.
ii). Good analytical skills
iii) Good at systems thinking. Should be able to look beyond the specifics at the whole picture. Should be good at integrating the various systems.
iv). Project management skills of a high order. After all you are building the most complex engineering feat to be undertaken by man. System integration of the hull, electrical and engineering equipments requires a high order of project management skills.
Qualifications for a Naval Architect i) Graduation in the field of Naval Architecture/ Civil Engineering / Mechanical Engineering / Ocean Engineering.
ii). A one year apprenticeship with a Shipbuilding firm/ Ship design firm
iii). Higher qualifications depending on the specialized skills.
Where all can a Naval Architect be employed
i) In shipyards / shipbuilding firms
ii) In Naval dockyards
iii) Ship Design Bureaus
iv) Navies of respective countries
v) Naval Architecture Consultancy firms
vi) Offshore Structures
vii) Oceanographic Institutions
How much does it pay to be a Naval Architect
This seems to be the most important question put forward by wannabe Naval Architects. "How much will I get being a Naval Architect?" is the most common query that I frequently encounter. The answer varies from around US $5000 to anywhere between a million dollars for the top management executives. Most of the salary data is confidential and companies rarely delve these information to the general public. However being in the Industry for the past fifteen years I can make a reasonable guess:
Supervisory Level: US $ 36000 Per Annum
Lower Management Level: US $ 50000 Per Annum
Middle Management Level: US $ 1,00,000-5,00,000 Per Annum
Top Management Level: Anywhere upwards of One Million dollars Per Annum.
If one is working in the Offshore field expect a salary 2-5 times the quoted salary above.
Can a Naval Architect work onboard a Ship as a Marine Engineer
Definitely yes. All he has to do is to enroll as a trainee marine engineer apprentice in any of the Shipyards /Institutions for a duration of 18 months (usually varies from 12-18 months) and after the apprenticeship he will be ready to carry out his assignments as an Engineering Officer.
Naval Architect in Shipbuilding Industry
Naval Architects are employed in shipyards as production managers to oversee the construction of new ships. He will be either involved with the Design Bureau or in the production floor. In the Design Bureau, he will be undertaking the detailed workshop/production level drawings of ships after the concept design has been carried., He will be involved with structural calculations using the latest sophisticated structural software like Ansys, NISA, Pro-Engineer, etc. He might also be involved with system integration of the various ship systems. Detailed level drawings for use in the production floor will be carried out by him using latest Ship design Packages like TRIBON or General Engineering Packages like CATIA. Being a complex undertaking, there will be a lot of overlap between systems and he might have to resolve the conflicts arising from the conflicting requirements of different ship systems.
As a Production level Engineer/Manager, he will be in the process of the actual building of the Ship. Usually the Naval Architect is involved with Hull Fabrication and Outfitting aspects of Shipbuilding Applications.
Naval Architects in Ship Repair Yards Naval Architects are employed in Ship repair yards in the Fabrication, Dry docking and Outfitting Centers. He should be a good man manager and should have excellent project management skills. Though detailed technical knowledge is not called for, he should have a good understanding of the follwing aspects:
i). Materials used for marine applications
ii) Composites like GRP
iii). Wood Technology
iv). Welding Technology
v). Corrosion Science
Here the adage "Jack of all trades, Master of none" is well suited.
He might have to work under very daunting time schedules and keep up with the deadlines for meeting the target requirements.