AbstractIn this paper a numerical method to compute the wave resistance of a body submerged in a free stream of finite and infinite depth is presented. Non‐linear effects on the free surface are taken into account by an iterative procedure; the solution is in the form of a single‐layer potential. For the 2D problem, results are shown for both the cases of finite and infinite depth of the fluid domain, with special emphasis on the supercritical flow in which the consistency of the scheme is pointed out. The method is also extended to the 3D case of a spheroid submerged in deep water. All the results presented are compared with experimental data and analytical solutions available in the literat