The mathematical formulation of non-linear wave forces on ships

The importance of non-linear wave forces in causing ranging of vessels on their moorings is explained. Various mathematical representations of these forces have been investigated with the help of published data. Due to their complexity the amount of computational effort needed to calculate the forces exactly is very great and approximate methods have been sought. As a result of this work, mathematical equations have been obtained which can be expected to provide a good description of non-linear wave forces and moments on ships.