Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G9/00—Other offensive or defensive arrangements on vessels against submarines, torpedoes, or mines
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41H—ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL
  • F41H13/00—Means of attack or defence not otherwise provided for
  • F41H13/0006—Ballistically deployed systems for restraining persons or animals, e.g. ballistically deployed nets
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B30/00—Projectiles or missiles, not otherwise provided for, characterised by the ammunition class or type, e.g. by the launching apparatus or weapon used
  • F42B30/14—Harpoons
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B6/00—Projectiles or missiles specially adapted for projection without use of explosive or combustible propellant charge, e.g. for blow guns, bows or crossbows, hand-held spring or air guns
  • F42B6/02—Arrows; Crossbow bolts; Harpoons for hand-held spring or air guns
  • F42B6/08—Arrow heads; Harpoon heads

Definitions

• This invention relates to a method for diverting a sailing vessel by tethering means, such as a cable, particularly an errant vessel.
• the method may be applied by a watercraft installed with an apparatus for securing the cable to the errant vessel.
• the general embodiment of our method comprises a method for diverting a sailing vessel by tethering means comprising the steps of: bringing into range a harpoon means capable of piercing the hull of said vessel wherein the harpoon means comprising a head having extraction-preventing means; and a tail attached to a tethering element of sufficient length; piercing said hull with the harpoon means with the extraction- preventing means deployed, thereby preventing extraction thereof; tugging onto said tethering element to achieve a desired diversion.
• the harpoon means may be mounted onto a watercraft to bring the harpoon means into range by approaching said vessel from an aft position.
• the harpoon means head's extraction- preventing means comprises a plurality of radially unfoldable spokes that are foldable backwardly to be flush with or less than the harpoon head's diameter and capable of radially unfolding to a limited degree. Upon piercing the hull of the vessel, the spokes preferably unfold and latch the head against the hull's inner surface.
• the tethering element attached to the harpoon means may be a cable of sufficient tensile strength.
• the cable may unwind to a length of up to 40 metres between the watercraft and vessel.
• the watercraft may then tug onto the cable to tether the vessel to a desired direction.
• a watercraft is designed for use in a method for diverting a sailing vessel by tethering means wherein at least one harpoon means is hard-mounted on at at least one of the bow, portside, starboard and stern.
• the harpoon means may preferably be mounted to strike in a multiple angles, in a variable angle or strike, and/or in an array.
• high-traction low-speed propulsion such as Voith-Schneider Propulsion means
• low-traction highspeed propulsion means such as hydrodynamic lifting elements, comprising front and back hydrofoils, including propeller-mounted front hydrofoils may be installed below the hull.
• a harpoon capable of piercing the hull of a vessel comprising a head having an extraction-preventing means at a first end and attached to one end of a tethering element of sufficient length which other end is secured to a watercraft.
• the extraction-preventing means comprises a plurality of foldable spokes which are radially foldable backwards to be flush with said harpoon head's diameter and capable of radially unfolding to a limited degree.
• the harpoon Upon piercing the hull of the vessel, the harpoon means head's foldable spokes unfold and latch against the hull's inner surface.
• FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of a watercraft having a preferred embodiment of full capabilities envisaged in our present invention
• FIGURE 2 shows a side view of the watercraft of FIG. 1 ;
• FIGURE 3 shows a top view of the watercraft of FIG. 1 ;
• FIGURE 4 shows a front or bow view of the watercraft of FIG. 1 ;
• FIGURE 5 shows in perspective view a watercraft approaching a vessel to be diverted from an aft position
• FIGURE 6 shows in side view the situation of FIG. 5;
• FIGURE 7 shows in front or bow view the watercraft within harpoon range to the vessel to be diverted
• FIGURE 8 shows in plan view the vessel being engaged by the watercraft according to the method of the present invention
• FIGURE 9 shows in perspective view the situation of FIG. 8;
• FIGURE 10 shows in side view the harpoon piercing the vessel's hull in sequence of FIG. 10(a), FIG. 10(b) and FIG. 10(c).
• the watercraft proposed for implementing our method of diverting a sailing vessel may be schematically shown in various views in FIGURES 1 to 4 which are being referred to collectively.
• the apparatus of our proposed watercraft (10) which is key to executing our method is the harpoon means
• (12a, 12b, 12c) which may be provided as a single harpoon with multiple angles of launch. Alternatively, it may be provided with variable angle of strike or as multiple units of harpoons arranged in multiple directions or angles of launch or in an array.
• Each of the harpoons may preferably be hard-mounted on the watercraft (10).
• One or more of the harpoons (12a, 12b, 12c) may be provided on the bow, portside, starboard and/or stern.
• a key feature of the harpoon is that the tail end of the harpoon is attached to a tethering means which may be a rope or cable of sufficient tensile strength and length. The cable may be coiled in a reel (14) or bobbin for fast unwinding upon the launch or firing of the harpoon.
• the propulsion of the watercraft is preferably provided in two forms, that is - a high-traction low-speed propulsion and a low-traction high-speed propulsion.
• a preferred propulsion technology is the Voith-Schneider Propulsion (VSP) available from VOITH Turbo Marine, Heidenheim, Germany.
• VSP propellers (16) are preferably installed in a central position at the bottom of the watercraft's hull, i.e.
• front and back hydrodynamic lifting elements such as hydrofoils (18a, 18b) installed below the hull.
• hydrofoils (18a, 18b) For low-traction high-speed propulsion, the front hydrofoils (18a) may be mounted with propellers (20). As shown in the drawings, a pair of propellers may be provided. With this propulsion, as the watercraft picks up speed, the hydrofoils would lift the hull above the water to achieve a low traction but high speed cruise. Speed of above 30 knots should be easily attainable with such lifting foils attached to the hull.
• the key apparatus to engaging the errant vessel for tugging is a specially-designed harpoon (12) which is capable of piercing the hull (30) as illustrated in FIGURE 10.
• the harpoon is preferably launched by explosives or gun or small cannon so as to be effective within a relatively longer range to pierce the hull plate.
• An alternative method of lodging the harpoon with the errant vessel would be bringing the watercraft with the harpoon to approach the errant vessel, ramming and directly puncturing the- errant vessel's hull without launching the harpoon. Once the harpoon is in the errant vessel's hull, the attachment mechanism will open up and the watercraft will move away with the errant vessel in tow.
• the harpoon head comprises a head (32) having an extraction- preventing means at a first end and attached to one end of a tethering element, such as a cable, of sufficient length which other end is secured to a watercraft.
• the head is made of an especially hard material that is capable of puncturing a typical hull of a large ship such as an oil tanker, which typical thickness is about 18 - 20 mm.
• the extraction-preventing means comprises a plurality of foldable elements (34) which may preferably be radially unfolding spokes that are foldable backwards with the harpoon stem as the axle or hub.
• the spokes are foldable to be flush with the harpoon head's diameter and capable of radially unfolding to a limited degree.
• the harpoon means head's foldable elements (34) may unfold and latch against the hull's inner surface (36) so as to prevent the harpoon head (32) from being extracted out of the hole of the punctured hull.
• the foldable spokes (34) may be shaped as fins for aerodynamic purposes as well as for structural strength in resisting further unfolding upon reaching the limit of unfolding and thus latching the harpoon head against the inside surface of the hull plate (30) when pull backwards as shown in FIGUFRE 10(c).
• the harpoons are detachable and positioned at the stern of the watercraft as shown in FIGURES 5 - 9 which illustrates an example of the method for diverting a sailing vessel (40) by tethering means.
• our method comprises the steps of, firstly, bringing into range a harpoon means capable of piercing the hull of the errant vessel (40).
• the harpoon's preferred configuration is as described above, i.e. its head provided with extraction- preventing means and a tethering element such as a cable attached to the tail of the harpoon.
• the next step comprises launching the harpoon so as to strike the hull of the vessel (40) with such force so as to pierce the hull plate (30).
• the extraction-preventing means may be deployed to prevent extraction of the harpoon head.
• the watercraft from which the harpoon is fired may tug onto the errant vessel, via the cable attached to the tail of the harpoon, so as to achieve a desired diversion.
• FIGURE 5 shows a preferred approach to the errant vessel and bring the harpoon into firing range from an aft position of the errant vessel.
• the harpoon means is mounted onto the stern of the watercraft.
• FIGURE 7 shows the pursuing watercraft (10) in a range close enough to fire the harpoon to pierce the hull.
• the watercraft (10) preferably slows down to allow the harpoon to be aimed at the appropriate spot on the vessel's hull.
• the spokes unfold and latch against the hull's inner surfaces (36) to prevent the head's withdrawal.
• FIGURE 8 shows the watercraft with a tethering element, such as a cable (42) of sufficient tensile strength, tugging in a stem-to-stern manner the errant vessel in an aft position.
• a tethering element such as a cable (42) of sufficient tensile strength, tugging in a stem-to-stern manner the errant vessel in an aft position.
• the cable (42) is allowed to unwind from a reel or bobbin mounted on the watercraft until a length of up to 40 metres between the watercraft and the vessel.
• the watercraft may preferably uses high-traction propulsion means, such as operating the VSP propellers, when engaging and tugging the vessel. While an optimal distance of about 40 metres is prescribed for maintaining the tugging distance between the vessel and watercraft, the cable may have a total length of about 80 - 120 metres for slack and takeup length in the tethering operation. While the above illustration of the method is, shown for an errant vessel, it will be obvious to a skilled person that it can also be used to guide precisely a totally cooperative large ship, or an incapacitated, damaged, leaking or malfunctioning ship, in navigating through a crowded harbour or through a narrow passageway.
• high-traction propulsion means such as operating the VSP propellers

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=39401955

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 2006
  • 2006-11-13 SG SG200607840-6A patent/SG143078A1/en unknown
• 2007
  • 2007-10-25 US US12/312,495 patent/US20100058966A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-10-25 AU AU2007320117A patent/AU2007320117A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-10-25 EP EP07835517A patent/EP2084054A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-10-25 WO PCT/SG2007/000362 patent/WO2008060243A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events