Quiet ship: Why former NATO captain thinks military patrol boats need to change

A faulty gear spinning at more than 12,000 revolutions per minute once ruined an entire day of NATO acoustic research. The tiny component was detected by hydrophones 600 metres behind the research vessel Alliance, illustrating a lesson that former NATO captain Olaf Steckstor has carried into his new venture: military vessels are only as quiet, efficient and adaptable as their weakest component.

That experience now shapes Ultimate Maritime Solutions (UMS), a Croatian-based company developing modular maritime platforms for governments and security agencies. In an analysis, DefensePost examines Steckstor’s argument that naval procurement has become too slow, expensive and focused on traditional ship designs.

From NATO’s quietest ship to new platform

Steckstor spent six years aboard NATO Research Vessel Alliance, eventually becoming its captain. Built between 1985 and 1987, the 93-meter vessel was specifically designed to minimise underwater acoustic signatures.

“They needed to calculate every pipe with a liquid,” he said. “The diameter, the bending radius, to avoid turbulences in the pipe, because that could create noise or vibration going into the hull, going into the water.”

His experience convinced him that quiet operation should be a central requirement for modern patrol vessels, particularly as sensors, satellites and unmanned systems make detection increasingly difficult to avoid.

UMS therefore favours displacement catamarans, hybrid propulsion and extensive modularity rather than simply maximising speed.

Modularity over speed

One of Steckstor’s most unconventional design choices is the use of 50-centimetre frame spacing throughout the hull. Although this costs more to build, he argues that it allows equipment and mission modules to be installed almost anywhere.

“That costs a little bit more in production,” he said. “But this gives me the option to bring forces into the hull, into the structure, every 50 centimetres, and therefore it is extremely modular. When the client says, put this or that, we can do it, because it is like Lego. The smaller the pieces are, the more flexible you are to build.”

The company says its vessels can be configured for coast guard operations, search and rescue, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine missions and special operations.

The concept is intended to address a persistent weakness in naval procurement: governments often spend years ordering platforms designed for threats that may have changed before the ships enter service.

Quiet propulsion, smaller crews

UMS proposes diesel-electric hybrid propulsion, with an optional fuel-cell system. The objective is not to make vessels invisible but to reduce underwater noise, vibration and thermal signatures when operating in sensitive environments.

“I think it is much more important to be quiet,” Steckstor said.

The company also argues that modern automation can reduce crew requirements, potentially bringing some configurations down to around 12 to 14 personnel.

Yet Steckstor rejects complete autonomy for larger vessels, arguing that humans remain essential when something goes wrong.

“I think that is money-making from the shipyards and developers at the moment, because the human factor is important.”

Challenge to traditional procurement

DefensePost notes that modular naval platforms are not new. NATO and European militaries are already investing in unmanned and semi-autonomous systems, while previous modular concepts have produced mixed results.

UMS nevertheless believes smaller, adaptable vessels could complement rather than replace larger warships.

“The individual technologies are proven,” Steckstor said. “Our innovation is the architecture: how we integrate them into a flexible, modular and highly redundant platform.”

The larger question is whether governments will change procurement practices quickly enough to exploit that architecture. Steckstor argues that his company could deliver vessels in roughly two to two and a half years after requirements are finalised, far faster than many traditional naval programs.

For him, the issue is ultimately less about building another fast patrol boat than changing what governments expect from one: fewer specialised hulls, lower operating costs, smaller crews and the ability to adapt as threats evolve.

By Sabina Mammadli