When is the Adaptable or Multi-Role Ship the Right Answer?

The rise of the multi-role ship, often envisaged with modular bolt on capabilities, has been the stable of conferences for most of this decade. Similarly, adaptability is an increasingly common theme in presenting new designs and concepts. However, the question for the naval architect is “do these represent the right solution for a given individual project” or has the concept been overstated as a vision of the future and used as the template which is not quite the panacea that it promises. After several decades involved in a wide range of projects, the authors offer their thoughts on the opportunities and realism of multi-role ships and adaptability. The paper explores some of the lessons learnt in delivering multi-role and modular designs. The underlying themes that are fuelling the interest in multi-role ships along with the typical roles considered are also discussed.