Optimal sequential replenishment of ships during combat

Abstract

A carrier battle group is operating in an area where it is subject to attack by enemy aircraft. It is anticipated that air raids will occur in large waves. The uncertain time between raids is available for the replenishment of supplies. We consider the problem of how best to schedule ammunition replenishment during this period. The theory of Gittins indices provides the technical background to the development of a range of models which yield a hierarchy of index‐based heuristics for replenishment. One such heuristic is assessed computationally in a more realistic scenario than is explicitly allowed for by the models.

Multi-stock replenishment of naval vessels by specialist replenishment ships

“…The sizing of a Naval fleet, and the scheduling of replenishment at sea, has been the subject of numerous studies; for example (Williams et al 1989, Pilnik et al 1991, Dunn 1992, Chircop et al 2013, Brown et al 2018. The Defence White Paper 2016 states that the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Supply-class oilers will be supplemented by a "third replenishment or additional logistics vessel" in the late 2020s (Commonwealth of Australia 2016).…”