Ocean Surveillance

A Comparison of Ship Maneuvering Characteristics for Rudders and Podded Propulsors
$25.95
This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A474714. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: A comparison of a high speed container ship using a rudder versus a podded propulsor is made to study replacing a rudder with a pod. A mathematical model is altered to simulate a ship operating with a rudder and with a pod to maneuver. The model incorporates the nonlinear maneuvering equations and couples the surge and sway forces, yaw and roll moment, and the roll angle induced during a steady turn with varying rudder and pod angles. The model uses the hydrodynamic derivatives and coefficients for a high speed container ship. The equations are numerically integrated in order to predict the roll angle, sway and surge velocities, and the ship's position in the xy-plane. Both transient and steady state results are utilized to quantify the relative efficiency of each system. The results are used as a preliminary study into replacing a rudder on a ship with a podded propulsor. The results indicate that the ship responds faster and has a shorter turning radius with the pod at lower initial speeds and pod angles, while the rudder responds better at high speeds regardless of angle. Further research is necessary to study the effects of changing the pod's position and increasing the number of pods used.

Comparative Design Analysis of a Fuel Cell Powered Coast Guard Cutter
$48.95
This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A844313. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: This investigation studied the impact of using fuel cells as the primary power source in a ship design. Three different fuel cells were modeled: Phosphoric Acid, Proton Exchange Membrane, and Molten Carbonate. These models were compared against a baseline design containing a more conventional powerplant. The models were built and optimized using the 'Advanced Surface Ship Evaluation Tool' (ASSET/MONOSC). Specifically, payload, endurance, sustained speed, and hull depth were held constant, while length, beam, and draft were optimized to provide a balanced design. Full load displacement and required fuel load were compared against the baseline values. Conclusions concerning the potential value of a fuel cell powerplant were drawn.

LaserShield WDU-0013301 Wireless Detection Unit
$59.99
This alarm system does everything it claims to. It's very easy to set up, and to add extra detection units. I have a medium sized cat who roams the house, but she has yet to set off the alarms over the past six months. If you are renting and would like some extra peace of mind, this system, an extra detection unit or two as needed, and the reasonable monthly charge for monitoring is hard to beat.

The only drawback to this system is the lack of door/window switches - the only detecion unit are the motion sensors. If you are in long term rental with many doors/possible entry windows, you might want to look into a unit with door/window sensors.

Cave Mapper, Shark Surveillance, Virtual Voyage
$1.99