Professor Kenneth Rawson FREng RCNC (d. 29 February 2020) was a naval architect for the British Royal Navy. He was Chief Naval Architect of the Royal Navy from 1979-1983. He was Professor of Naval Architecture at University College London, and Professor of Design and Technology at Brunel University.
Early life Rawson was brought up in Portsmouth, Hampshire, where he attended the Northern Secondary School from 1938. The school was evacuated to Winchester during the bombing of Portsmouth in World War II. Rawson started his apprenticeship in an electrical workshop in Petersfield run by the Royal Navy Dockyard, Portsmouth. In 1944, he moved to the main dockyard as a shipwright apprentice. He won a prestigious cadetship to join the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, spending his first year of 1946 at Royal Naval Engineering College, Keyham. In 1947 he moved to Royal Naval College, Greenwich and completed the three-year naval architecture course under Professor Alfred Sims (subsequently Director of Naval Construction). He left with a first-class certificate in 1950, and completed his sea-time on the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable in the Mediterranean, the cruiser HMS Swiftsure, and the destroyer HMS Corunna.
Career Rawson began his career in 1951 as an Assistant Constructor at the Naval Construction Research Establishment (NCRE) in Dunfermline, Scotland. He worked on photoelastic stress analysis and used it to recommend that beam-end brackets be discontinued, as they were sources of stress concentration.
In 1953, Rawson was appointed to the Forward Design Group in London, a small team working projects directly to the DNC, then Victor Shepheard. Shepheard took a personal interest in the project, frequently meeting in person with the Queen and Prince Phillip. As an Assistant Constructor, Rawson worked on the design of HMY Britannia. The design priority was for an elegant design with comfortable motion. Rawson completed the inclining experiment, finding a relatively low metacentric height (GM). Britannia was designed with stabilisers to provide for a pleasant roll.
Whilst in London, Rawson was asked by Professor Sidney John Palmer to lecture on hydrodynamics at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. In response, Rawson proposed that he lectured on structure (using his NCRE knowledge). This was agreed, and he set about creating a new structures syllabus and lecture course.
In 1954, Rawson was promoted to Constructor. As the frigate design section in Bath was overloaded, the design of the Tribal-classgeneral purpose frigate remained with the Forward Design Group in London. He remain with FDG until 1957.
From 1957 to 1959, Rawson was seconded to Lloyds Register of Shipping. He developed new rules for freeboard and the link to wave height for the new much longer ships being designed.
In 1960, Rawson finally moved to Bath. Rawson led the team which completed the detailed design for the modernisation of HMS Eagle, which took place in Devonport Dockyard from 1959-64. The island was completely replaced. A new 2½ inch armoured deck was installed.
He then moved to weapons section of the newly created Ship Department. The Royal Navy was then looking for missile systems for their ships. Sea Wolf and Sea Dart were developed.
In 1965 he was approached by Eric Tupper to join him in revising the standard textbook on naval architecture. Instead, they wrote a new book "Basic Ship Theory", which was published in 1968. Each wrote 8 chapters (unspecified) of the two volume textbook. The book was revised 5 times, the last in 2001.
In 1967, Rawson was promoted to Chief Constructor. He described his next five and half years as "indifferent work" in the Department of Fleet Maintenance. He moved back to London with his family.
In 1972, Rawson was appointed Professor of Naval Architecture at University College London (UCL). There he worked with Professor RED Bishop and later Professor Geraint Price. He taught Charles Betts, David Andrews, Peter Chamberlain and Douglas Pattison.
In 1977, Rawson returned to Bath as the Assistant Director for the Forward Design Group. He sponsored the adoption of computer-aided design for concept studies. His team developed the concept designs for the Type 24 frigate.
Rawson was promoted to Chief Naval Architect in 1979. A major reorganisation was proposed with design work being placed with industry. Rawson chose to resign in 1983.
In 1983, Rawson was invited by the Vice-Chancellor, RED Bishop, to become Professor and Head of Department for Design Technology at Brunel University, where he remained until 1989. In this role he combined the craft, design and technology department from Brunel University with the craft department from Shoreditch College, Egham on a site at Coopers Hill, Runnymede. The new department dealt with craft skills (such as silversmithing) through to design (using prototype modelling and computer aided design), blending engineering design with aesthetics.
Rawson was made Chair of the Council of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects in 1987. That year, the MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsized leaving Zeebrugge harbour. Rawson took on the challenge of pressing for design improvements for "Roll on-Roll Off" (RORO) ferries, for which he well placed no connection with ferry companies. RINA established in-house technical committee to investigate ROROs and determined that they were 'unacceptably vulnerable'. The work of Rawson and RINA assisted in the International Maritime Organization updating it Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention to reflect modern day RORO vessels (SOLAS 90).
Rawson received an honorary doctorate (DSc) from his home town University of Portsmouth in 1996.University of Portsmouth: Honorary Awards and Sporting Hall of Fame.
https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/alumni/honorary-awards-and-sporting-hall-of-fame
He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1990 (not citation for date).
In 2010, Rawson along with Eric Tupper were awarded the RINA William Froude medal for their conspicuous contribution to naval architecture through their book "Basic Ship Theory".Royal Institution of Naval Architects: William Froude Medal.
https://www.rina.org.uk/William-Froude-Medal
Personal life Rawson married Rhona in 1950. The had three children (a daughter and two sons).
Rawson was a keen sportsman, playing rugby for Royal Naval Engineering College, Keyham and football for the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
Rawson was the Secretary of the RCNC Association in the 1960s.
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