Ships – Towing or pushing – Towing by means of cable
Patent
1995-12-29
1997-01-21
Swinehart, Edwin L.
Ships
Towing or pushing
Towing by means of cable
114311, B63B 2104
Patent
active
055951350
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement for the towing of a disabled ship by means of a wire prepared for that purpose, said wire being connected with a buoy adapted to be released in connection with a disabling of the ship.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Several cases are known, in which the engine of a tanker has broken down and where the ship has run aground and sprung a leak, following which a major or minor part of the cargo has leaked and caused considerable pollution of the coast, where the tanker has run aground. It has been said that an accident of this kind in recent times would have been avoided in recent times if the disabled ship had been provided with a wire prepared for the towing of the ship, said wire being connected with a buoy, which has been disengaged from the disabled ship and which is provided with a painter, by means of which a salvage ship could pull a wire free and rig a tow wire without having to put any persons on board the disabled ship. This arrangement has been proposed in the magazine SEAWAYS, March, 1993, p. 31. In this known arrangement the buoy is connected with the disabled ship at the port side somewhat astern of midship. In the proposed arrangement there is a great possibility that the buoy will come to rest against the ship's side and consequently be inacessible to a salvage ship which is to prepare for a towing.
The object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of the kind mentioned by way of introduction, by means of which arrangement a great possibility exists that a salvage ship can establish a tow wire by means of which the disabled ship can be towed away from the endangered coast.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention this object is met by an arrangement in combination with and for the towing of a disabled ship by a wire prepared for that purpose, the wire being connected with a buoy adapted to be released from, in connection with a disabling of, the ship. The wire is placed on a wire drum having an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the ship at the stern, stem or stern and stem of the ship. The wire is permanently connected with the ship at one end behind the drum and at the other end with a painter. The painter is a buoyant line stored in a magazine, in which it is coiled without being twisted, the magazine being placed between the wire drum and a launching pipe for a buoy, with which the other end of the painter is connected. The buoy is inflatable and connected with and encapsuled in a box comprising a floating anchor, the box being launchably mounted in the launching pipe.
The invention is based on the fact that a ship without any propellent force will take up a position transversely to the moving direction of the prevailing sea. A tall bridge or living quarters placed for instance astern influence to a certain extent the direction of the ship in relation to the sea, but the deviation from transverse perpendicularly to the sea will hardly exceed 10.degree.-15.degree. . A comparatively small floating anchor will therefore pull out its painter in a direction which substantially forms a right angle to the longitudinal direction of the ship and at all events keep clear of the ship. Furthermore, the invention is based on the experience that at open sea it is possible to approach two ships stem against stem, and that even during very rough weather it is possible to approach the ships as much as 20-50 m, without any serious risk, in particular when the ships--as will be the case in this connection--are not positioned straightly opposite one another. In the arrangement according to the invention an inflatable buoy can be launched from the stem of the disabled ship, said buoy marking a painter in form of a buoyant line which is connected with the tow wire and which can be used for release thereof from the magazine in which it has been coiled. The buoy is provided with a floating anchor ensuring that it will effectively be kept at a distance corresponding to th
REFERENCES:
patent: 2341799 (1944-02-01), Luby
patent: 3123842 (1964-03-01), Oeland, Jr. et al.
patent: 4330895 (1982-05-01), Putman et al.
Clarke Dennis P.
Swinehart Edwin L.
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