I think it’s a first in ship design, as I know:
The shape of bulb (???) bow; anyone shares my doubts?
Italian navy Raimondo Montecuccoli PPA or Multipurpose patrol vessel.
The shape of bulb (???) bow; anyone shares my doubts?
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Aleut kayak designs featured a bifurcated bow. Pretty wicked feature.
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Nothing new - HMS Polyphemus, an 1880 Torpedo Ram although they date back to the Carthaginians.
Perhaps they fitted it as extra collision protection.
It looks like an absolutely pointless design feature. Is it supposed to reduce air drag when running above 80 knots or is it just an “Italian thing”?
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This is the third of seven ordered patrol ships for the Italian Navy, at 560 million EUR per unit.
For this strange ‘Rambow’, there was certainly extended research by Fincantieri and the Navy.
These ships are fast (32 knots) and they sail always with exactly the same draft…
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Probably to extend the waterline length, thus better L/B factor for higher speed vs. power requirement (??)
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…or to have a more stable platform when using the weapons on board?
I did not find an even general explanation of this bow… all is pure speculation.
HMS Poliphemus was designed at purpose as a ram, even if it had some ingenious design: extra rudders!
Maybe Urs got the point
Not been able to find ANY clue on the net…
A part for some vague references to “a very streamlined hull”
Sure they’r not the firsts to exceed 30 Kn…
Bridge to f’ocsle: “How is the anchor tending?”
F’ocsle to bridge: “Anchor is tending around the bow”.
Bridge to f’ocsle: “Which bow?”
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Nay… My opinion - personal - is Fincantieri after researches, found a “marginal” advantage in that hawkward shape, so they adopted.
Time,and dockyards attitudes will tell us.
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I’m inclined to agree with @ombugge - better L/B ratio through longer waterline while maintaining flared bow for heavy seas. I doubt it provides the same functionality as a bulbous bow.
As for the Rig Pilot, if I had to guess, reduction of green water.
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Increasing Froude n. decreasing wetted area - less drag.
That’s a high speed design, but these ships mainly operate at a standard - relatively low - speed.
Operational costs will give an answer; “if” - being a defence issue - they let us (taxpayers) know…
Considering that all the weirdness is above the waterline, that argument doesn’t hold water.
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Optimisations of 
:
It’s a commonplace…
doesn’t exactly help the bow rise after a dunking !!
Correct, so I said " doubts" in the post.
