In a line heating process for hull forming, the phase of the steel transforms from austenite to martensite, bainite, ferrite, or pearlite depending on the actual speed of cooling following line heating. In order to simulate the water cooling process widely used in shipyards, a heat transfer analysis on the effects of impinging water jet, film boiling, and radiation was performed. From the above simulation it was possible to obtain the actual speed of cooling and volume percentage of each phase in the inherent strain region of a line heated steel plate. Based on the material properties calculated from the volume percentage of each phase, it should be possible to predict the plate deformations due to line heating with better precision. Compared to the line heating experimental results, the simulated water cooling process method was verified to improve the predictability of the plate deformation due to line heating.