Hydrofoil hullform selection

Historically the selection of a hydrofoil hullform has been dictated primarily by design considerations related to foilborne performance. Emerging mission requirements for future hydrofoil ships place greater emphasis on the total vehicle performance both hullborne and foilborne. The selection of the hydrofoil hull and the design features are discussed as well as established features of existing and future hydrofoil hulls. It is demonstrated that while hydrofoil hulls must satisfy requirements unique to the concept, satisfaction of the requirements follows traditional naval architectural practice, and generally results in hullforms similar to conventional naval platforms of comparative size.