GB115057A - Improvements in or relating to Pontoons for Raising Sunken Vessels. - Google Patents

Abstract

115,057. Vickers, Ltd., Thurston, T. G. O., and Hiley, A. Feb. 21, 1917. Sunken ships, raising.-Apparatus for raising sunken vessels by means of pontoons that are submerged against a reserve of buoyancy and connected to the ship by two or more cables comprises means for indicating the pull on each cable and means for slipping or relieving from tension any cable that is subjected to an undue load. The pontoons, Fig. 10, comprise permanently buoyant spaces 6, 7, spaces 8<1> open to the water, and floodable spaces 8 with controlling- valves 9 communicating with the spaceas 8<1>. A superstructure 4 on the pontoon carries a control station 4<x>, which'always remains above water and contains tension-indicating means and means for controlling the various operations of the pontoon. The pontoons are sunk by means of winches 41 and light cables 39 connected to the lifting-cables 3; the latter are then engaged by gripping means as shown in Fig. 6 or Fig. 12 for the buoyancy lift. In Fig. 6, the gripping means 2 are shown as longitudinally movable wedges controlled by fluid supplied through the pipes 2<x>. The gripping means are supported by a system of levers 14, 16 carried by the pontoon and controlled by a spring 22. A wire 11, connected to a lever 16 and passing over pulleys 20, 21, is connected to a tensionindicating means in the control station 4<x>; if any cable has an undue load, its gripping means are released to allow the cable to slip to the desired extent. In Fig. 12, grooved gripping plates 44 are shown connected to hydraulic rams 46 and, by pivoted tie-bolts 54, to tie-plates 47 supporting pivoted levers 49, the long arms of which rest on spring supports 50 on rods 51 carried by the pontoon and the short arms of which engage with tool steel bearings 44<3> on the gripping-plates. To grip the cable, the plates 44 are moved downwards by the rams 46, the levers 49 then causing the plates to move inwards to grip the cable. The load is then transmitted to the pontoon through the spring supports 50. and is indicated in the control station by means of a wire 53, which passes over a system of pulleys 53<4> to obtain a multiplying effect. After applying the grip, the rams 46 may be put out of action. The lifting- cables may pass below the ship, or may terminate in a thimble 32, Fig. 9, which is passed over a bolt 29 projecting from a port hole &c. 30<1> and connected to a lower port-hole by chains 37 ; the thimble is yieldably held bv a collar 35 and two washers 33 spaced by a spring composed of hemp rope.