Steller Systems’ team continues to grow, with us welcoming Myca Morales to the team this week. Myca is a Naval Architect with more than four years’ experience in the defence industry including conducting build assurance activities for new vessels. Myca also brings with her experience of the offshore oil and gas industry. She will be joining our team at our Nailsworth head office.
Myca joins us at a busy time for Steller Systems, and is already supporting some of our projects in the surface ship and uncrewed vessel sectors.
Earlier this week Steller Systems’ Alec Lynn-Rodgers and Amy Potter visited Newcastle University, delivering a guest lecture sharing valuable industry knowledge on the engineering lifecycle, specifically the transition away from the traditional design spiral towards a digital thread.
In addition, the pair spoke to Marine Technology Students across all stages about Steller Systems’ tailored Graduate Scheme. As a former graduate of Newcastle University, Amy was able to share her experience of the Graduate Scheme first-hand. Read about Amy’s experiences here.
If you would like to discuss a position on the scheme, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Steller Systems is also open to offering student placements, whether that be a summer placement or a year in industry.
At Steller Systems we’re always on the look out for great people to join our team conducting varied and interesting work. Here are a few of the things we’ve been doing recently:
👉 Conducted tank trials of a damage control system that will save lives
👉 Created a hull optimisation tool using AI techniques that will significantly improve fuel efficiency
👉 Worked on an advanced survivability, escape and evacuation system that will improve safety
👉 Built and tested functioning scale prototypes of uncrewed vessels
👉 Designed an innovative launch and recovery system for uncrewed vessels
👉 Developed our designs for an uncrewed vessel and an innovative landing craft
👉 Attended and presented at conferences worldwide
👉 Given presentations at three leading universities
👉 Won awards from our customers
👉 Mentored staff through their graduate schemes and chartership applications
If you’re a naval architect or marine engineer and love the challenge of solving difficult problems, then please contact us.
Technology is transforming the way that companies approach tough optimisation challenges, and Steller Systems is incorporating new, technically advanced methods into early stage hull design in ways not seen in some marine sectors before.
Deep Learning Surrogates (DLS) are just one Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that is already increasing the speed and effectiveness of automated design optimisation. The approach is based on other AI models like those that have been key to many other difficult computing problems, from tracking trends in the stock market to image recognition.
By using Deep Learning Surrogates to explore the entire design space and generating millions of combinations of hull shapes it stands to reason how significant savings can be realised. A recent task to optimise a future frigate hull form showed the extent of the potential savings. A 32% reduction in resistance at cruise speed (16 knots) and for the same hull 22% reduction in resistance at top speed (24 knots) was achieved. Putting this into perspective, this allows the designers to save 5 megawatts from a 30 megawatt drive train – showing how large the savings can be.
Steller Systems has been awarded a contract by the Defence and Security Accelerator to develop an innovative damage control system for ships.
Changes to platform design and operation, steady reductions in crew numbers and the accelerating move to uncrewed, autonomous vessels mean that new approaches are required to ensure that damage control measures can continue to be successfully achieved.
Under this contract, Steller Systems will design, build and test a prototype system that can be permanently installed or rapidly deployed on a ship in the event of damage.
The work will be based upon Steller Systems’ extensive experience of naval and commercial vessel damage stability, providing emergency response naval architecture support to Royal Navy vessels, designing uncrewed vessels and rapid prototyping using innovative techniques.
Steller Systems’ team of naval architects and marine engineers relish technical challenges and developing innovative solutions. Due to a number of recent contract awards we are currently recruiting talented individuals at all levels. For more detail please visit our careers page.
Steller Systems’ team continues to grow, with the recent addition of Richard Burrows. Richard is an accomplished naval architect with extensive experience of designing racing vessels, having worked for INEOS Britannia, Ben Ainslie Racing Technologies and Alex Thomson Racing. Richard is experienced in the design of composite structures and in conducting hydrodynamic trials.
Richard is based in our Hamble office and is already supporting our diverse portfolio of projects in the surface, subsurface and uncrewed vessel domains, supporting both military and commercial clients.
We are currently recruiting naval architects and marine engineers of all grades to join our teams in both Nailsworth (Gloucestershire) and Hamble (near Southampton). Please see our Careers page for more details.
Steller Systems’ Managing Director Rob Skarda, himself a Fellow of IMarEST, will be presenting a paper he has co-authored with Matt Bolton and Cdr Iain Tall RN on “Future Naval Battlespace & Implications for Key Enablers” at the closing plenary session. The paper looks at the platform, marine engineering and combat system aspects that need to be developed in order to enable improved effectiveness in the future battlespace, and will draw out key threads that should lead to virtuous cost-effective development cycles to prepare naval forces for the future.
Meanwhile our Chief Engineer for Surface Ships, Alec Lynn-Rodgers, will be presenting “Future Warship – A Scoping Study”. The paper presents an assessment of the potential gains and arrangement impacts of adopting state-of-the-art structural and propulsive approaches on warship design.
Other presentations will be based on papers co-authored by Steller Systems personnel, including “Implementation of a Novel Federated Approach to the Analysis of Sinking Ships” and “Bringing the Naval Inclining Experiment into the 21st Century”. INEC 2022 takes place from 8th to 10th November 2022 at the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.
Last week we were pleased to welcome Michael Lathrope to the team. Michael has recently graduated from Newcastle University with an MEng in Marine Technology with Honours in Marine Engineering. Michael has a passion for naval architecture and marine engineering, supported by practical experience of working in marinas and dockyards.
Michael will work with our growing team of naval architects and marine engineers, delivering high quality engineering support to our growing and diverse portfolio of projects in the surface ship, submarine and uncrewed vessel domains for both defence and commercial applications.
We are currently recruiting naval architects and marine engineers of all grades to join our teams in both Nailsworth (Gloucestershire) and at our new office in Hamble (near Southampton). Please see our Careers page for more details.
This week we welcome Madeleine Arnold to the team. Madeleine is a talented naval architect with a First Class degree in Yacht & Powercraft Design. Madeleine has a diverse background in the maritime industry; in addition to two years’ experience as a Naval Architect, Madeleine has worked in yards in both the UK and abroad, is an accomplished sailor, and is a qualified instructor.
Madeleine will work with our growing team of naval architects and marine engineers, delivering high quality engineering support to our growing portfolio of projects in the surface ship, submarines and uncrewed vessels domains for both defence and commercial applications.
We are currently recruiting naval architects and marine engineers of all grades to join our teams in both Nailsworth (Gloucestershire) and at our new office in Hamble (near Southampton). Please see our Careers page for more details.
Yesterday Steller Systems’ Managing Director, Rob Skarda, met with Jeremy Quinn MP, Minister for Defence Procurement at the opening of the Battlelab. We discussed our Wraith uncrewed vehicle prototype as well as experimentation, regulation and SMEs.
The Minister was very supportive, saying our prototype vehicle and future capability is “exciting”. It was also highly valuable talking with the other companies and serving personnel about how we can better collaborate to give our services what they need.
