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The widespread acceptance of Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) Piping by industry has not been paralleled by Navy shipboard applications due to lack of technical information concerning performance characteristics of the material in the shipboard environment. The need for a corrosion—free, lightweight, low cost alternative to metallic piping materials aboard advanced Navy ships provided an opportunity to begin investigations with GRP Piping in the areas of fire performance, mechanical properties, cyclic fatigue characteristics, shock performance, flexible compatible couplings, erosion resistance, marine fouling control systems, and joint inspection techniques. Results of investigations to date have provided encouragement for current applications of GRP Piping in advanced Navy ships, and for future applications throughout the entire surface—ship fleet. Several diversified GRP pipe, fitting, and joining concepts employed by various manufacturers are currently being investigated to provide the performance criteria necessary to develop a military specification ensuring required characteristics for general shipboard service.

A comprehensive summary of a survey on research into the theory and application of water-emulsified fuel is presented. Its potential impact on diesel, boiler, and gas turbine shipboard power plants is discussed in terms of fuel consumption, maintenance, emissions, and safety.Intermediate grade to heavy fuel oils emulsified with 6% to 10% water have the most potential for cost savings in shipboard propulsion systems. Maintenance is reduced in boilers and is significantly lower for all power plants. Water-emulsified fuel bums more cleanly and offers the potential for improved safety.

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Examination of the special requirements for fire protection systems and procedures in high‐performance ships constructed of light weight aluminum, such as hydrofoils, emphasizes the necessity for extremely rapid detection and response coupled with automatic and remotely controlled operations of the firefighting systems. Small crews, difficulty of access, minimum reaction time, and vulnerability of the equipment virtually eliminate dependence on the more conventional firefighting equipments. An installed HALON flooding system, with a back‐up system of installed high expansion foam generators, is recommended for protection of high‐performance craft in excess of 100 tons. A brief series of tests with high expansion foam showed it to be very effective in an oil spray fire. Foam, fortified with a 4% addition of HALON in the air bubbles, proved to be quite superior to unfortified foam.