US3670682A - Method and apparatus for handling ships - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for handling ships Download PDF

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Publication number
US3670682A
US3670682A US9A US3670682DA US3670682A US 3670682 A US3670682 A US 3670682A US 9 A US9 A US 9A US 3670682D A US3670682D A US 3670682DA US 3670682 A US3670682 A US 3670682A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
drydock
vessel
wingwall
removable
tracks
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US9A
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English (en)
Inventor
Clyde M Leavitt
Walter C Johnson
Don C Hall
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ingalls Shipbuilding Inc
Original Assignee
Litton Systems Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Litton Systems Inc filed Critical Litton Systems Inc
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3670682A publication Critical patent/US3670682A/en
Assigned to INGALLS SHIPBUILDING, INC. reassignment INGALLS SHIPBUILDING, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: LITTON SYSTEMS, INC. A CORP. OF DE
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Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C1/00—Dry-docking of vessels or flying-boats
    • B63C1/02—Floating docks
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B71/00—Designing vessels; Predicting their performance
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C3/00—Launching or hauling-out by landborne slipways; Slipways
    • B63C3/08—Tracks on slipways
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C3/00—Launching or hauling-out by landborne slipways; Slipways
    • B63C3/12—Launching or hauling-out by landborne slipways; Slipways using cradles

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT A launching and retrieving facility for handling ships with an open ended, sectionally constructed drydock having one side of removable wingwalls. In an inshore position the drydock is ballasted to rest upon a firm foundation and a track system on the drydock floor aligns with a similar shore-based track system thereby allowing the ship to be rollably or slidably transferred between the drydock and shore.
  • the wingwalls are set in place and the drydock deballasted to float off the foundation.
  • the drydock and ship thereon are moved into the launching area where the drydock is ballasted down until the ship is set afloat.
  • Ship retrieval from water to shore is achieved by a reverse procedure.
  • An example of a new innovative shipyard designed for utilization of a mass production systems approach is the one recently built by Litton Systems, Inc., in Pascagoula, Mississippi. At this yard ships are manufactured on continuous ways and are made out of modules. The modules are manufactured from assemblies, and the assemblies are manufactured out of still smaller assemblies. The modules are mounted on cradles which are in turn rollably mounted on a track system so that the whole ship grows as it passes through fixed work stations. Thus, the controlled flow of material through men and machines are applied throughout and the economics of these production techniques are thereby utilized in the shipbuilding field.
  • the above discussed production techniques enables the yard to handle the construction of a number of ships simultaneously on continuous ways and allows the utilization of a single launching facility rather than a separate launching facility for each shipbuilding way.
  • the orientation of the track system and the production technique which entails moving the ships in a transverse rather than a longitudinal direction, dictates a design for a launching facility with the capability of launching the ships being constructed from a horizontal rather than an inclined shipway. Building the ships in a horizontal mode greatly lessens construction costs because the sub-assemblies can be aligned perpendicular to a base-line without a declivity board.
  • the most practical facility for launching the ships is a floating drydock which can be oriented with the track system to accept the completed vessel for launching.
  • a floating drydock facility for a shipyard located along a riverbank or channel, it is desirable to have a drydock with the capability of having ships moved onto the drydock sideways rather than longitudinally so that the drydock need not jut out into the water for any great distance.
  • the floating drydock Because of the size of the ships, it is also important that the floating drydock have sufficient stability so that the ship will not be spilled into the water which might result in capsizing, nor be put under excessive strains during launching, which might lead to structural damage of the hull.
  • the drydock be designed in such a way that its length and capabilities can be easily adapted to the particular type of vessel being launched. Also, because of the single facility aspect, it is important that the drydock not be out of operation for any extended period of time due to repairs or modifications.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method for launching and retrieving ships from horizontal rather than an inclined shipyard ways involving a single launching facility.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide an improved floating drydock facility adaptable to have ships moved thereupon sideways and which will have improved stability in a floating condition with a ship thereon, so as to avoid any damage to the ship during launching or retrieval.
  • Still another object of the invention is to provide a floating drydock whose length can be easily adjusted to accommodate the launching or retrieving of ships of varying sizes and which would not be subject to long periods of being out of service due to repairs which might have to be made upon the drydock.
  • a floatable drydock having removable wingwalls along the side of the drydock adjacent the shore when the drydock is in a position for receiving the ship to be launched.
  • the wingwalls are set in place prior to deballasting the drydock and moving it to a place having sufficient depth to allow ballasting of the drydock an amount sufficient to launch the ship.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floatable drydock in accordance with our invention supported by a launching grid and aligned with the track transfer system of a shore facility.
  • the removable wing walls are shown attached to the drydock with a portion of one wing wall cut away.
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating how the sectionalized construction of the floating drydock makes it adaptable for self-repair of the individual drydock sections.
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a dogging device which can be used as one means of fastening the removable wing walls to the floating drydock shown in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic representation taken from a side view of the launching facility illustrating the location of the drydock when it is in position to receive the completed hull structure and further illustrating one means of winching the drydock from the shoreline to a position where the ship is launched.
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a side view of the launching facility after the completed hull has been moved onto the drydock and showing the installation of the removable wingwalls.
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view which shows the floating drydock and the completed vessel thereon as it is being moved from the shoreline to the launching position.
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the floating drydock and the completed vessel after the drydock has been ballasted down and the completed vessel set afloat.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a floating drydock constructed in accordance with our invention in an on-shore position.
  • the drydock 10 is sectionally constructed and includes a series of drydock sections 12, 14, 16 and 18. These sections can be fastened together to form the drydock l and the length of the dock can be adjusted to accommodate a particular ship by either adding on additional drydock sections or removing one or more of the sections.
  • Each section has a respective removable wingwall 20.
  • the wingwalls 20 are securely fastened to the drydock sections by a plurality of fastening devices 22 located along the inside and outside walls of the removable wingwalls and adapted to be fastened to appropriate receptacles located on the drydock sections.
  • Each wingwall has a hollow interior (shown at the cutaway portion 23) and when fastened to the drydock by the fasteners 22 will form a water tight seal so that the wingwalls can function as ballast tanks during the operation of the drydock l0.
  • the drydock rests upon a supporting structure which, depending upon the particular bottom contours and geological characteristics at the shoreline, may consist of a series of pilings with a platform thereon as shown in FIG. 1.
  • the shore installation 30 necessarily includes a transporting means for the ships, such as a series of parallel aligned tracks 28 upon which rollable cradles supporting the ship can be moved.
  • a series of similarly disposed tracks 25 on the floor of the drydock 10 will be aligned with the tracks on the shore thereby allowing transfer of the ship from the shore installation 30 to the drydock 10 along the track system by means of the rollable cradles.
  • the drydock sections 12, 14 and 16 are constructed such that the length of each drydock section is less than the width between the interior sides of the wingwalls with the wingwalls mounted. Where it becomes necessary to repair a section of the drydock such as section 12, that section need only be detached from the remaining sections 14 and 16.
  • the drydock is then ballasted down so that the section 12 can be floated from position A to a position B which is rotated 90 degrees and above the drydock.
  • the drydock can then be de-ballasted and floated, until section 12 is raised out of the water.
  • the drydock is again ballasted down and the repaired section 12 floated off, rotated in a reversed 90 and reattached to the drydock.
  • FIG. 3 An example of such a fastening device is the dogging device shown in FIG. 3.
  • a projecting lug 40 with a sloping top is attached near the bottom of the wingwall 20 to be fastened.
  • a drop bolt 43 having a threaded end thereon.
  • Attached to the top of a drydock structure 10 is a swinging link 42 which can mate with the projecting lug 40.
  • On the top of the link are two projecting ears which can mate with the drop bolt 43.
  • FIG. 4 schematically illustrates how a completed ship hull 8 is moved to the drydock 10 in preparation for a launching.
  • the vessel 8 is constructed on the horizontal ways at the shore installation 30 and is supported by a series of cradles 32 each of which are mounted on a plurality of rolling carriages 34. Preferably, these carriages have self-powered locomotive means to facilitate movement of the ships.
  • the drydock 10 is ballasted down so that it securely rests on the launching grid 15.
  • the tracks 25 on the drydock 10 are aligned with the respective tracks 28 along the ship way 30 and the gap between these tracks along the portion of the drydock on which the removable wingwalls will be fastened is temporarily bridged with removable tracks 27.
  • the ship can then be moved along the tracks sideways until it is centrally located on the drydock 10 as shown in FIG. 5.
  • FIG. 4 additionally shows a possible means of moving the drydock and the ship from a position on the grid to a position off-shore which is deep enough to allow sufficient ballasting down of the drydock 10 so that the ship 8 can be set afloat.
  • a system may entail a chain reeving and anchorage system employing a chain or cable 50 and a Windlass 51.
  • One end of the chain 50 is attached and securely fastened to the shore and the other is attached to a secure anchorage somewhat off the shoreline.
  • the powered Windlass 51 rotate and wind itself along the chain or cable 50 in the appropriate direction.
  • FIG. 5 shows the ship 8 after it has been moved on cradle 32 to the appropriately centered position on drydock 10 which is resting on the launching grid 15.
  • the removable wingwalls 20 can be lowered into place on the drydock and securely fastened thereon.
  • the wingwalls can be easily handled and positioned on the drydock with the aid of cranes 21 which are rollable mounted on the track system along the horizontal ways 30.
  • the drydock 10 is deballasted by pumping water out of the ballast tanks within the drydock sections with conventional pumps (not shown for purposes of clarity), until the drydock 10 with the ship 8 thereon is raised in the water to a floating position such that the drydock l0 and ship 8 will clear the launching grid 15.
  • FIG. 6 shows the drydock l0 and the ship 8 as they are moving from a position adjacent the shore facility 30 to deeper water where the drydock can be lowered to float the ship.
  • the drydock can be moved away from the shoreline by means of lines 53 attached to two fixed buoys 56 and 57 which are anchored out in deeper water.
  • Full control is maintained on the floating drydock at all times with the use of lines 59 connecting the drydock to the shore. These lines are paid out as the drydock is moved away from the shoreline thereby always maintaining positive control on the floating drydock.
  • the tanks a, 10b, 10c and 10d within the drydock 10 are flooded and the drydock is lowered into the water until the ship 8 floats free and clear of the cradles 32 as illustrated in FIG. 7. it then remains only to move the ship 8 longitudinally out of the drydock either under its own power or under tow.
  • the vessel In retrieving a ship, the vessel would first be moved over the drydock which has been ballasted down in deep water and aligned with cradles 32 which support the ship when it is in drydock. ln retrieving ships, it is important that the cradles 32 be properly placed under the ship as the drydock is deballasted and floated, otherwise severe structural damage can result. Once the cradles 32 are properly set, the drydock can then be deballasted and floated until it fully supports the ship being retrieved.
  • the drydock 10 and the ship 8 thereon is aligned in the appropriate position above the grid and then ballasted down until it rests securely on the grid.
  • the wingwall can then be removed and the ship 8 moved from the drydock 10 back into the shipyard or other shore installation where the necessary repair work and/or modifications can take place.
  • the reverse process would be followed in order to re-launch the ship.
  • the result of the launching and retrieval system described above is a versatile, inexpensive, self-repairable and easily operated single drydock facility which can be used for launching and retrieving a large number of ships without necessitating the use of more than one drydock facility.
  • the drydock described is easy to maintain and inexpensive to build when compared with a conventional horizontal way manufac turing facility and/or graving dock repair yards.
  • a floatable drydock for retrieving and launching vessels to and from a waterfront comprising:
  • a rectangularly shaped bottom portion to support a vessel during launching and retrieving, said bottom portion having a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of a vessel to be supported therein and a transverse direction parallel to an athwartships axis of said vessel, said bottom portion including at least a portion of a first buoyancy chamber;
  • a first wingwall located along one longitudinally directed side of said bottom portion, said first wingwall including at least a portion of a second buoyancy chamber;
  • a second wingwall located along the other longitudinally directed side of said bottom portion, said second wingwall being removable from said bottom portion, said second wingwall including at least a portion of a third buoyancy chamber;
  • means for transferring a vessel between said bottom portion and the waterfront comprising a plurality of tracks, a plurality of rolling carriages, and a plurality of means for supporting a vessel on said plurality of rolling carriages, said plurality of tracks including a first number therefrom mounted on the waterfront, a second number therefrom mounted in said transverse direction on said bottom portion and a third number therefrom removably mounted between said first and second number for temporarily bridging the gap between said first and second number of tracks along the portion of said drydock which said removable wingwall mounts, each track in said first number being aligned with the respective track in said second number and in said third number, said plurality of rolling carriages and means for supporting a vessel on said carriages rollably mounted on said tracks for transporting a vessel in an athwartships direction along said plurality of tracks until the vessel is moved between the waterfront and said drydocks.
  • the floatable drydock of claim 1 further including means for adding and removing ballast to said drydock to vary the degree the flotation of said drydock.
  • the floatable drydock of claim 1 further including means for moving said drydock between the waterfront and a position in a body of water removed from the waterfront.
  • each detachable section has identical dimensions.
  • each detachable drydock section has a length smaller than the distance between the first and second wingwalls of any of said sections when they are fully mounted on the respective bottom portions, thereby allowing any one section to be drydocked for repairs and maintenance by any other section.
  • a method of retrieving vessels floating in a body of water onto a fixed dock employing a floatable drydock having two wingwalls longitudinally disposed along the sides of said drydock, one wingwall being removable, comprising the steps of:
  • step of moving said drydock with said vessel thereon to a position adjacent to said fixed dock includes the step of aligning the drydock with said fixed dock by changing the floating position of said drydock until it firmly rests on a firm foundation adjacent to said fixed clock.
  • step of changing the flotation of said drydock comprises adding ballast to said drydock to increase its draft to enable said vessel to float free.
  • step of moving the vessel in an athwartships direction from the fixed dock onto said drydock comprises transporting the vessel on carriages rollably mounted on tracks and wherein this step is preceded by the step of bridging the portion of the drydock from which the removable wingwall has been removed with removable tracks.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Revetment (AREA)
  • Cleaning Or Clearing Of The Surface Of Open Water (AREA)
  • Placing Or Removing Of Piles Or Sheet Piles, Or Accessories Thereof (AREA)
US9A 1970-01-02 1970-01-02 Method and apparatus for handling ships Expired - Lifetime US3670682A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US970A 1970-01-02 1970-01-02

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Publication Number Publication Date
US3670682A true US3670682A (en) 1972-06-20

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US9A Expired - Lifetime US3670682A (en) 1970-01-02 1970-01-02 Method and apparatus for handling ships

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Country Link
US (1) US3670682A (fr)
JP (1) JPS4940516B1 (fr)
CA (1) CA953118A (fr)
ES (1) ES384677A1 (fr)
FR (1) FR2073686A5 (fr)
GB (1) GB1276606A (fr)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20030140837A1 (en) * 2002-01-22 2003-07-31 O'neil David A. Transporting a ship over shallows of a watercoruse
CN100389052C (zh) * 2005-04-07 2008-05-21 沪东中华造船(集团)有限公司 超大超重物件移位方法
US20140238287A1 (en) * 2012-04-28 2014-08-28 Dockwise Shipping B.V. Method for dry-docking a floating unit
WO2015148452A1 (fr) * 2014-03-25 2015-10-01 Aeplog, Inc. Dispositif de lancement et de récupération
US9308973B2 (en) 2011-11-28 2016-04-12 Aeplog, Inc. Launch and recovery device
US9643691B2 (en) 2011-11-28 2017-05-09 Aeplog, Inc. Launch and recovery device

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5558358U (fr) * 1978-10-13 1980-04-21
DE102006048272B3 (de) * 2006-10-12 2007-10-18 Pek, Metin, Dipl.-Ing. Verankerung für ein selbst verholendes mobiles Schiffshebe- und Transfersystem
RU2577584C1 (ru) * 2014-12-22 2016-03-20 Евгений Вениаминович Абрамов Способ поперечного подъёма и спуска судна на воду

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US169010A (en) * 1875-10-19 Improvement in floating docks
US2325607A (en) * 1940-08-21 1943-08-03 Frederic R Harris Floating dry dock
US2732818A (en) * 1956-01-31 quirin
DE1103171B (de) * 1958-03-21 1961-03-23 Erich Laube Vorrichtung zum Anland- und Zuwasserbringen von Schiffen, insbesondere von Booten
US3478526A (en) * 1968-05-01 1969-11-18 Christopher J Foster Ship launching apparatus and method

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US169010A (en) * 1875-10-19 Improvement in floating docks
US2732818A (en) * 1956-01-31 quirin
US2325607A (en) * 1940-08-21 1943-08-03 Frederic R Harris Floating dry dock
DE1103171B (de) * 1958-03-21 1961-03-23 Erich Laube Vorrichtung zum Anland- und Zuwasserbringen von Schiffen, insbesondere von Booten
US3478526A (en) * 1968-05-01 1969-11-18 Christopher J Foster Ship launching apparatus and method

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20030140837A1 (en) * 2002-01-22 2003-07-31 O'neil David A. Transporting a ship over shallows of a watercoruse
WO2003062046A1 (fr) * 2002-01-22 2003-07-31 Seaworthy Systems, Inc. Transport d'un navire sur les eaux peu profondes d'un cours d'eau
CN100389052C (zh) * 2005-04-07 2008-05-21 沪东中华造船(集团)有限公司 超大超重物件移位方法
US9308973B2 (en) 2011-11-28 2016-04-12 Aeplog, Inc. Launch and recovery device
US9643691B2 (en) 2011-11-28 2017-05-09 Aeplog, Inc. Launch and recovery device
US20140238287A1 (en) * 2012-04-28 2014-08-28 Dockwise Shipping B.V. Method for dry-docking a floating unit
US9061749B2 (en) * 2012-04-28 2015-06-23 Dockwise Shipping B.V. Method for dry-docking a floating unit
WO2015148452A1 (fr) * 2014-03-25 2015-10-01 Aeplog, Inc. Dispositif de lancement et de récupération

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1276606A (en) 1972-06-07
JPS4940516B1 (fr) 1974-11-02
ES384677A1 (es) 1973-06-16
FR2073686A5 (fr) 1971-10-01
CA953118A (en) 1974-08-20

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AS Assignment

Owner name: INGALLS SHIPBUILDING, INC.,CALIFORNIA

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:LITTON SYSTEMS, INC. A CORP. OF DE;REEL/FRAME:004741/0178

Effective date: 19870717

Owner name: INGALLS SHIPBUILDING, INC., 360 NORTH CRESCENT DRI

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:LITTON SYSTEMS, INC. A CORP. OF DE;REEL/FRAME:004741/0178

Effective date: 19870717