Certificate in Naval Architecture course delivered via distance education

Course Director

Eric Tupper BSc, CEng
An Honorary Vice-President and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), Member of Royal Corps of Naval Constructors (RCNC), UK

Eric Tupper is a Fellow and Honorary Vice-President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA).

He began his working life as a shipwright apprentice in Portsmouth Dockyard when it was the principal base for the Royal Navy. Going on to further training for the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, in furtherance of a career in the maritime field, he spent a year at the R.N. Engineering College, Keyham, followed by three years at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He then spent a year at sea, seeing action with the R.N.’s Far East Fleet during the Korean War.

Eric’s career continued with a number of design appointments to the Admiralty (later Ministry of Defence) in Bath, involving aircraft carriers, the forward design of ships, and the design of guided missile destroyers and mine countermeasures vessels, the latter in glass reinforced plastics. These appointments were interspersed with appointments to positions in research in hydrodynamics, structures, engineering, materials and human factors at various government research establishments around the United Kingdom. He also had an appointment to Chatham Dockyard where he was a constructive trade master responsible for building new conventional submarines and refitting conventional and nuclear submarines. All the appointments involved trials of various warship types in numerous ships.

Eric is now retired but remains active in support of the RINA.
He is a co-author of Basic Ship Theory and author of Introduction to Naval Architecture, both of which are well regarded in the profession.

Co-author

Robert Curry CEng, FRINA
Director, Robert Curry Naval Architects Ltd

Bob completed the apprenticeship scheme at Vickers Armstrong Naval Yard, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne with a HNC in Naval Architecture from Rutherford College and an endorsement course in ship motions.

Then he became Assistant Naval Architect at Sir Joseph W Isherwood in London. After that he joined ABS and held positions of surveyor, principal engineer and engineering manager; these positions covered hull plan approval, hull rule development and hull structures surveys. These positions took Bob from London to New York HQ, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and back to London.

Bob opened and established ABS technical services office for South America.

He has represented ABS on a number of IACS Working Groups, including Existing Bulk Carriers and Ro-Ro Safety.

He is Chairman of RINA Small Craft Committee, Vice Chairman of RINA IMO Committee, Member of RINA Safety Committee and a representative of RINA at IMO.

He is also UK member on ISO Working Groups for large yacht safety and small craft structural standards.