Editing Ship model basin (section)

==History==
[[File:Boat models by William Froude.JPG|thumb|12 foot model hulls used by [[William Froude]] in scale model testing of stability, on display in the [[Science museum]]]]
[[Image:US Experimental Model Basin - interior view, c. 1900.jpg|thumb|right|US Experimental Model Basin, circa 1900]]The eminent English engineer [[William Froude]] published a series of influential papers on ship designs for maximising stability in the 1860s. The [[Royal Institution of Naval Architects|Institution of Naval Architects]] eventually commissioned him to identify the most efficient hull shape. He validated his theoretical models with extensive empirical testing, using scale models for the different hull dimensions. He established a formula (now known as the [[Froude number]]) by which the results of small-scale tests could be used to predict the behaviour of full-sized hulls. He built a sequence of 3, 6 and (shown in the picture) 12 foot scale models and used them in towing trials to establish resistance and scaling laws. His experiments were later vindicated in full-scale trials conducted by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] and as a result the first ship model basin was built, at public expense, at his home in [[Torquay]].  Here he was able to combine mathematical expertise with practical experimentation to such good effect that his methods are still followed today.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Way of a Ship in the Midst of the Sea: The Life and Work of William Froude|first=David K.|last=Brown|publisher=Periscope Publishing|location=Penzance|year=2006|page=143|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Iimx-zvWccC&pg=PA26|isbn=1-904381-40-5}}</ref>
[[File:Denny Tank (24505547053).jpg|alt=The Denny Tank, the world's first commercial testing tank.|thumb|The [[Scottish Maritime Museum|Denny Tank]], the world's first commercial testing tank. ]]
Inspired by Froude's successful work, shipbuilding company [[William Denny and Brothers]] completed the world's [[Scottish Maritime Museum|first commercial example]] of a ship model basin in 1883. The facility was used to test models of a variety of vessels and explored various propulsion methods, including propellers, paddles and vane wheels. Experiments were carried out on models of the Denny-Brown stabilisers and the Denny [[hovercraft]] to gauge their feasibility. Tank staff also carried out research and experiments for other companies: Belfast-based [[Harland & Wolff]] decided to fit a [[bulbous bow]] on the liner ''[[SS Canberra|Canberra]]'' after successful model tests in the Denny Tank.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenrg.org/resources/articles/58-2%20NRJ%20The%20Two%20Clydes%20-%20article.pdf|title=The Scientific and Management Revolution in Shipbuilding on the "Two Clydes," 1880-1900|date=Summer 2013|publisher=The Nautical Research Guild}}</ref>