1532. U.S. Navy Surface Ship Weight and Kg Margins Revisited
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Paper
Abstract
Effective weight and KG (height of vertical center of gravity above the keel) margins are an essential
element of the U.S. Navy Weight Control Program. Margins are not only an engineering tool for making
technical predictions, but are embodied in the fiscal process as well. The need for improvements in
margin determination was recognized, when the weight control program was formulated in 1961. The first
improvement came with the establishment of a formal margin policy in 1963. The values, restricted only
to weight at that time, reflected the best corporate engineering judgment based on scattered and,in many
cases, unverified weight growths. Because the shipbuilding process is relatively long (compared to aircraft,
land vehicle and missile production), it took fifteen years to accumulate a database considered reasonable
for a statistical study of margins. These data were used to update the NAVSEA weight margin and to establish
a KG margin policy in 1978. The data used in this paper supplements the 1978 data and statistical studies
are presented based on all data, previous data only, and new data only. This paper discusses the results of
the various studies and includes conclusions and recommendations concerning updating of the NAVSEA Weight and
KG margin policy.
