Design that has to survive a class society, an inspector, and the sea.
Abbott On Call provides naval architecture, marine engineering, design, analysis and inspection services to government and commercial vessel owners. We write the specification, review the drawings, run the stability, walk the shipyard, witness the trials, and sign the report. When a cable ship needs to leave port with a modified deck load, our naval architect is the one confirming she can.
The range of vessels we design, modify, inspect and support
Commercial fleet under continuous naval architecture and stability support
Vessels inspected in production for the U.S. Navy sUSV program
Rule sets we work to daily: ABS, ABYC, ISO, CFR, DNV, Lloyd's
Naval Architecture
AOC's naval architecture practice covers the full design spiral and the analysis that has to back it up:
Hull form design and modification
in Rhino, SolidWorks and AutoCAD Inventor
Speed and powering estimates
with internally developed tools and in NavCAD
Stability and loading
in GHS and shipboard loading computers such as K-Load, including trim and stability book creation, modification and class society approval
Detailed structural design
with rules-based investigation confirmed by finite element analysis in FEMAP/NASTRAN
Corrosion studies
and mooring and towing analysis
Class society submission and approval
as a standard part of the work, not an afterthought
Our core small-craft practice is the design and design evaluation of boats 100 feet and under to ABYC standards – including helping clients define what they are buying, whether custom or commercial off-the-shelf, and assessing whether a given builder can deliver it.
About Marine Design, Inspection & Commercial Services
Marine & Mechanical Engineering
For SUBCOM, the subsea communications cable operator, AOC provides continuous naval architecture support to a fleet of nine ships over 450 feet. Our naval architect reviews operational stability at every port departure and arrival, reviews periodic vessel-at-sea reporting, and reviews cable loading and bunkering sequencing proposals to confirm stability criteria hold throughout cable-laying operations – working across Kongsberg K-Load, Lloyd's Register SeaSafe Type 3, and ABS- and DNV-approved calculation spreadsheets, depending on the hull.
Vessel Design & Modifications
Working ships change because their missions change. AOC handles that.
Cable ship conversion and upgrade (SUBCOM)
AOC provided the naval engineering behind the purchase and modification of the vessel renamed Endeavour: conceptual design with weight estimates, arrangements and stability review; detailed design to enclose the previously exposed cable highway, add cable handling machinery, new cable storage tanks and a new ROV suite; intact and damage stability booklet changes to meet ABS and Lloyd's requirements; oversight of the inclining of the modified vessel; and support to the installation and testing of a new Type 3 loading program. We designed the tank modifications and watertight door installations required to obtain Special Purpose Ship ABS classification, and designed the foundations and installation of an internal line cutter – a large-diameter tube passing through the hull to a bellmouth exit, from which a cutter is towed to clear nets and weed from the cable.
Deck reinforcement under load
For C/S Reliance, AOC confirmed A-Deck structural adequacy for mobilization of an umbilical winch, LARS and equipment cabins, using finite element analysis to design reinforcement above and below deck and integrate equipment foundations – all approved by ABS – then produced shipyard installation instructions, confirmed stability with the permanent reinforcement and temporary load, updated loading conditions and issued a lightship addendum.
Government platform modification
For the U.S. Coast Guard, AOC has supported service life extension of three LCVPs for Arctic service, producing drawings for hull and structural modification to accept new diesel engines and controls, throttles and steering, new electrical systems, a new navigation package and new console faceplates; and supports SLEP planning for the 45-foot Response Boat–Medium.
CAD & Engineering Drawings
AOC builds complex 3D models in SolidWorks, Rhinoceros 3D, Ship Constructor, Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD, covering ships, systems, test fixtures and facilities across conceptual, preliminary and detailed design.
From those models we produce fabrication, assembly and installation drawings – and where none exist, we develop 2D drawings from scratch for legacy systems. Deliverables are complete engineering drawing packages compliant with MIL-STD documentation requirements, built to support downstream manufacturing, installation and sustainment.
Design integration work simulates real-world assembly, maintenance and operating environments, bringing human factors, equipment clearance and workflow into the design early – where changing them is still cheap.
Digital Engineering
AOC connects requirements, architecture, geometry and analysis into one working environment: Model-Based Systems Engineering in Cameo Systems Modeler and Innoslate; requirements in DOORS and our own traceability database; Product Lifecycle Management through Windchill; naval architecture and structure in Rhino, ORCA3D, SolidWorks, Inventor and FEMAP/NASTRAN; and analysis in MATLAB, Simulink, Python, C++ and MathCAD.
We also build 3D animation – in Blender, 3DS Max, Unreal Engine and NVIDIA Omniverse – for virtual demonstrations, operational workflow simulation, clearance and integration analysis, maintenance and training, and design trade studies. It is the fastest way we know to get a room full of people from different disciplines to agree on what they are actually looking at.
Hydrostatics & Stability
Stability work at AOC runs from first-principles calculation through class approval and into service:
- Intact and damage stability analysis and booklet development, to ABS, DNV and Lloyd's rules
- Trim and stability book creation and modification, with class society approval
- Loading computer support and approved calculation spreadsheets, including new loading program installation and test
- Inclining experiments, including oversight of the inclining of modified commercial vessels and lead of acceptance-trial inclining on new construction
- Lightship addenda and updated loading conditions following permanent equipment installation
- Weight control plan review and updating
- Seakeeping and maneuvering report review, and ice class analysis review
- Mission package laydown analysis to hold weight and stability compliance within modular ship spaces
Structural Analysis & FEA
AOC runs structural analysis in FEMAP and NASTRAN at any scale – single components through sub-assemblies to full ship models, in plate, beam and 3D elements:
Vessel Inspections & Surveys
AOC has performed small boat inspection and construction oversight for U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy programs for years, and the people doing it are naval architects, marine engineers, marine surveyors, NAMS surveyors and ABYC Master Technicians – several also holding captain's licenses, and many with prior careers in commercial yacht yards and fiberglass boat shops doing arrival inspections, commissioning and pre-delivery work.
U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boat Forces
AOC monitors construction and modification of Coast Guard boats under 64 feet: construction inspections at multiple build stages from keel laying through tests and trials, witnessing trials, reviewing contract deliverables including the calculations supporting safety and performance, maintenance program development, warranty determination support, system change development and acquisition document preparation. Platforms have included the RB-S II, RB-M, SPC-SW II, SPC-LE and LE II, SPC-IRT, SPC-BTD, and Cutter Boats CB-L, CB-M and CB-OTH – outboard, waterjet, diesel outdrive and air propulsion – at builders including Silver Ships, USMI, Metal Shark, Metal Craft and ReCon Craft.
In-service surveys
When Coast Guard operators reported rapid anode and heat exchanger deterioration on the SPC-SW II, AOC conducted a corrosion survey at Station Key West, diagnosed root cause and developed the corrective action plan.
Capacity
AOC maintains seven qualified compliance inspectors with U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy small craft experience, backed by a network of marine surveyors available for surge. Inspectors travel with tools, multimeters, cameras and required test equipment; findings are documented with photography and video and filed by hull number or HIN against trip date, location and build stage.
Construction & Manufacturing Support
Manufacturing Readiness Assessments
AOC delivers independent, auditable manufacturing readiness evaluations aligned to the DoD MRL Deskbook and DoDI 5000.88, scored traceably against TRL and MRL criteria, with a proven 60-day turnaround for full-scope evaluations. We assess production plans and subcontractors, internal cost control, inventory management, quality assurance and build process workflow, facilities, existing and future workforce, supply chain including ITAR, Buy American Act, Trade Agreement Act and foreign ownership compliance, senior leadership, capital availability and business systems. AOC has performed these for full-scale manned craft manufacturers and, for Navy PMS 420, seven assessments of unmanned surface vessel builders – at aluminum hull builders, custom fiberglass builders, engine manufacturers and integration sites.
Production inspection
For the Navy sUSV program, AOC provides in-line production quality oversight, acceptance inspection and warranty inspection, with more than 500 vessels inspected – paying particular attention to welding, hardware securing and electrical wiring, and extending to trailers used for storage and delivery and to packaging for shipment. AOC acts as the technical subject matter expert to DCMA during acceptance and has delivered full-day DCMA training courses on maritime technical standards.
Builder-side quality
Our inspectors review weld procedure specifications, procedure qualification records and welder qualifications against AWS D1.2 and D3.7, assess structural alignment and edge preparation against ISO 12215-6, and document non-conformances against the applicable specification. AOC has delivered a common construction issues reference to the Coast Guard, and our surveyors assist builders in correcting findings on the spot where they can – because catching a fuel line rated for the wrong service before delivery is cheaper for everyone.
Test, Trials & Acceptance Support
AOC develops sea trial agendas and checklists tied to contract performance requirements, witnesses inclining experiments, speed and power trials and endurance runs, and produces trip reports evaluating completed vessel performance against the procurement specification.
We supported operational test and evaluation of a composite-hull ice rescue craft prototype, completing on-water performance trials and the engineering calculations verifying passenger limits and safety margins, and participated in design reviews and acceptance test preparation for the SPC-TANB II program.
On new construction for a state agency, AOC led acceptance trials including the inclining, and supported final delivery on the owner's behalf.
Regulatory & Classification Compliance
Compliance is not a box we check at the end. It shapes the design.
AOC works routinely to ABS Marine Vessel Rules – including passenger vessel requirements, service area limitations, ice class notations under MVR 6-1-4, anchoring equipment, machinery, habitability and comfort notations – as well as DNV and Lloyd's Register rules, ABYC standards and recommended practices, ISO 12215 structure and ISO 12217 stability, 33 CFR Subchapter S and Part 183, 46 CFR Subchapters H, F, W and S, 46 U.S.C. Chapter 43, COLREGS, AWS welding codes and IEEE 45.
Our regulatory support covers class submission and approval, Certificate of Inspection–driven design decisions, production document and drawing review with recommended approval action and traceable comment closure, and hazardous material stowage and handling considerations under 46 CFR Part 147 and 49 CFR where applicable.
Owner's representative work
AOC served as program manager for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources acquisition of the M/V Eddie Somers, a 90-foot steel-hulled, aluminum-superstructure icebreaking buoy tender built to ABS, ABYC and CFR rules and delivered in May 2022. We ran the needs assessment, conceptual design, specification, statement of work and RFP documents; evaluated proposals and supported shipyard selection; performed design review, calculation and drawing review and construction oversight; and led acceptance trials including the inclining. That experience is why the Coast Guard brought us onto specification and statement-of-work development for the Homeland Security Cutter–Light, the new icebreaking buoy tender replacing the 65-foot WYTL fleet.
Who we work for
Government. U.S. Navy
NAVSEA, the Naval Surface Warfare Centers, and program offices across PEO USC. U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boat Forces. Department of Energy. U.S. Department of Transportation.
Commercial and state.
SUBCOM. Maryland Department of Natural Resources. CAT Hawthorne Sea Dragon.
Our engineers are distributed across the country – including Annapolis, Miami, Austin, San Diego, Onancock and Vienna – so inspection and trial support does not start with a cross-country flight.
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Download the AOC capability statement