  Full-scale experimental measurements and numerical predictions of the
wave-elevation topology behind a transom-sterned vessel, the R/V Athena I, are
compared and assessed in this paper. The mean height, surface roughness (RMS),
and spectra of the breaking stern-waves were measured in-situ by a LIDAR sensor
over a range of ship speeds covering both wet- and dry-transom operating
conditions. Numerical predictions for this data set from two Office of Naval
Research (ONR) supported naval-design codes, NFA and CFDship-Iowa-V.4, have
been performed. Initial comparisons of the LIDAR data to the numerical
predictions at 5.4 m/s (10.5 kts), a wet-transom condition, are presented. This
work represents an ongoing effort on behalf of the ONR Ship Wave Breaking and
Bubble Wake program, to assess, validate, and improve the capability of
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to predict full-scale ship-generated wave
fields.
