The nonlinear dynamics of ship motions: a field overview and some recent developments

This opening article of the issue is intended to provide a review of the field of nonlinear ship dynamics and to demonstrate the importance of the subject in the context of naval architecture. A list of relevant research topics that have received attention in recent years is included in the first section of the paper. This sets the scene for a brief discussion about the content and contribution of the articles that make up the Theme Issue. In order to facilitate understanding by non-specialists, we include an outline of the general concepts of nonlinear dynamics. Furthermore, we provide a detailed review of the evolution of ship research of the considered type since the 1970s, including a rather lengthy bibliography. We discuss the latest ideas about ship capsize and we include a special section summarizing the recent advances with regard to the mechanisms of ship capsize in astern seas. We close the article by offering some ideas about future directions for research.