GB2040831A

GB2040831A - A transporter ship having a hold for vehicles and a method of loading and unloading such a transporter ship.

Info

Publication number: GB2040831A
Application number: GB8003832A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Maschinenfabrik Buckau R Wolf AG
Current assignee: BWS Technologie GmbH
Priority date: 1979-02-05
Filing date: 1980-02-05
Publication date: 1980-09-03
Also published as: FR2447851B3; DE2904178A1; FR2447851A1

Abstract

A transporter ship having a hold for vehicles, the ship having at least one gate or door (4) which is capable of being swung towards the surface (5) of the water to form an access ramp for the entry and exit of amphibious vehicles. A pivot point (7) of the gate or door is arranged to lie above the water level (5) but the gate or door can be swung so that its free end lies beneath the water level. A ramp (8) is provided within the hold (2) of the ship, one end of the ramp being associated with the pivot point (7) and the ramp is able to be supported at its opposite end (9) on a floor (10) of the hold and/or on an intermediate floor (17) within the ship. A method of loading and unloading a transporter ship using amphibious vehicles is also described. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A transporter ship having a hold for vehicles and a method of loading and unloading such a transporter ship This invention relates to a transporter ship having a cargo hold for vehicles and to a method of loading and unloading such a transporter ship.

Atransporter ship is known in which the ship has a cargo hold for vehicles forming a part of its tonnage, the ship comprising at least one gate or door which can be pivoted towards the surface of the water and which forms, in certain positions, an access ramp.

Such ships are used for transporting amphibious vehicles, the cargo hold being so designed that it is capable of being flooded and as a result the amphibious vehicles are able to float in and out.

From German Offenlegungsschrifts Nos. 1921770 and 2451406, it is known to construct the bow or the stern of the transporter ship as a door or gate through which vehicles can float in or out. So that the cargo hold may be flooded and the amphibious vehicles may be able to float into or out of the cargo hold, it is necessary for the pivot point of the gate to be located below the water level.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a transporter ship for transporting amphibious transport vehicles which are capable of being moved into the water or into the cargo hold of the ship at any desired level of the sea or of another water is suitable, without the cargo hold having to be flooded.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transporter ship having a hold for vehicles, the ship having at least one gate or door which is capable of being swung towards the surface of the water to form an access ramp for the entry and exit of amphibious vehicles, a pivot point for said gate or door being arranged to lie above the water level, and a ramp being provided within the hold, one end of the ramp being associated with said pivot point and the ramp being able to be supported at its opposite end on a floor of the hold and/or on an intermediate floor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of loading and unloading a transporter ship essentially as defined in the preceding paragraph, using amphibious vehicles, the method comprising, when loading, lowering said gate or door of the ship towards and into the water and loading amphibious vehicles onto said ship via said gate or door in its access ramp position and via said ramp within said hold and stowing the vehicles on a said floor of the hold and/or on a said intermediate floor, and vice versa when unloading.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure I is a schematic elevation of a transporter or container ship, Figure 2 is an enlarged representation of the container ship's bow with amphibious vehicles moving out of the bow, and Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of a development of the invention.

The transporter ship 1 is represented in Figure 1 as a container ship, containers 18 being stacked on a deck 19 of the ship. An internal cargo hold 2 underneath the deck 19 may be wholly or partially left free for amphibious load-carrying vehicles 3, which can be driven into or out of the cargo hold 2 by way of a pivotable gate or door 4. The gate 4 is pivotally connected to the hull of the ship 1 at a point 7 above the water level 5, so that the gate 4 forms a ramp 6 when in the lowered position so that its free end dips into the water. So that the cargo space 2 is not flooded, the pivot point 7 is located so as to be above the water level 5. The difference is height between a floor 10 of the hold 2 and the pivot point 7 is bridged by a ramp 8, an end 9 of which can either be supported on the floor 10 or on an intermediate deck 17.

With relatively large transporter ships, the amphibious vehicles 3 will be arranged in two planes, so that as a result the space is better utilised. It is also conceivable that the space above or below the floor or deck 17 may be fully loaded with containers, so that these latter may be unloaded or loaded by means of the amphibious load-carrying vehicles.

More especially as regards large ships, the difference in height between the floor or deck 10 and the pivot point 7 will be very large. With a ramp 8 at too steep a level, it would then no longer be possible for the vehicles 3 satisfatorily to leave or enter the ship.

With a ramp which is fixedly arranged, it would not be possible for the cargo hold near the ramp 8 to be used. For this reason, the ramp 8 is pivotable relatively to the hull at the point 7 and, in addition, as shown in Figure 3, can have a further hinged connection at a point 11,so that individual sections 8a and 8b of the ramp 8 can be raised in a folded condition. An actuating means 15, which can, for example, be a hydraulic system or a mechanical cable winch, provides for the raising and lowering of the ramp 8.

In both embodiments, the gate 4 can be similarly lowered and raised by means of a hydraulic system ora mechanical system 14. More especially to facilitate entry and exit of amphibious vehicles in large ships, the gate 4 can be provided with a ramp-like extension 12, which is hingedly connected at the point 13 to the gate 4 and which can be deflected by a hydraulic system 16 or the like. When the extension 12 is deflected downwardly, it is then possible for the gate or door 4 to be directly closed in water-tight manner.

1. A transporter ship having a hold for vehicles, the ship having at least one gate or door which is capable of being swung towards the surface of the water to form an access ramp for the entry and exit of amphbious vehicles, a pivot point of said gate or door being arranged to lie above the water level, and a ramp being provided within the hold, one end of the ramp being associated with said pivot point and the ramp being able to be supported at its opposite

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION A transporter ship having a hold for vehicles and a method of loading and unloading such a transporter ship This invention relates to a transporter ship having a cargo hold for vehicles and to a method of loading and unloading such a transporter ship. Atransporter ship is known in which the ship has a cargo hold for vehicles forming a part of its tonnage, the ship comprising at least one gate or door which can be pivoted towards the surface of the water and which forms, in certain positions, an access ramp. Such ships are used for transporting amphibious vehicles, the cargo hold being so designed that it is capable of being flooded and as a result the amphibious vehicles are able to float in and out. From German Offenlegungsschrifts Nos. 1921770 and 2451406, it is known to construct the bow or the stern of the transporter ship as a door or gate through which vehicles can float in or out. So that the cargo hold may be flooded and the amphibious vehicles may be able to float into or out of the cargo hold, it is necessary for the pivot point of the gate to be located below the water level. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transporter ship for transporting amphibious transport vehicles which are capable of being moved into the water or into the cargo hold of the ship at any desired level of the sea or of another water is suitable, without the cargo hold having to be flooded. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transporter ship having a hold for vehicles, the ship having at least one gate or door which is capable of being swung towards the surface of the water to form an access ramp for the entry and exit of amphibious vehicles, a pivot point for said gate or door being arranged to lie above the water level, and a ramp being provided within the hold, one end of the ramp being associated with said pivot point and the ramp being able to be supported at its opposite end on a floor of the hold and/or on an intermediate floor. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of loading and unloading a transporter ship essentially as defined in the preceding paragraph, using amphibious vehicles, the method comprising, when loading, lowering said gate or door of the ship towards and into the water and loading amphibious vehicles onto said ship via said gate or door in its access ramp position and via said ramp within said hold and stowing the vehicles on a said floor of the hold and/or on a said intermediate floor, and vice versa when unloading. For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure I is a schematic elevation of a transporter or container ship, Figure 2 is an enlarged representation of the container ship's bow with amphibious vehicles moving out of the bow, and Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of a development of the invention. The transporter ship 1 is represented in Figure 1 as a container ship, containers 18 being stacked on a deck 19 of the ship. An internal cargo hold 2 underneath the deck 19 may be wholly or partially left free for amphibious load-carrying vehicles 3, which can be driven into or out of the cargo hold 2 by way of a pivotable gate or door 4. The gate 4 is pivotally connected to the hull of the ship 1 at a point 7 above the water level 5, so that the gate 4 forms a ramp 6 when in the lowered position so that its free end dips into the water. So that the cargo space 2 is not flooded, the pivot point 7 is located so as to be above the water level 5. The difference is height between a floor 10 of the hold 2 and the pivot point 7 is bridged by a ramp 8, an end 9 of which can either be supported on the floor 10 or on an intermediate deck 17. With relatively large transporter ships, the amphibious vehicles 3 will be arranged in two planes, so that as a result the space is better utilised. It is also conceivable that the space above or below the floor or deck 17 may be fully loaded with containers, so that these latter may be unloaded or loaded by means of the amphibious load-carrying vehicles. More especially as regards large ships, the difference in height between the floor or deck 10 and the pivot point 7 will be very large. With a ramp 8 at too steep a level, it would then no longer be possible for the vehicles 3 satisfatorily to leave or enter the ship. With a ramp which is fixedly arranged, it would not be possible for the cargo hold near the ramp 8 to be used. For this reason, the ramp 8 is pivotable relatively to the hull at the point 7 and, in addition, as shown in Figure 3, can have a further hinged connection at a point 11,so that individual sections 8a and 8b of the ramp 8 can be raised in a folded condition. An actuating means 15, which can, for example, be a hydraulic system or a mechanical cable winch, provides for the raising and lowering of the ramp 8. In both embodiments, the gate 4 can be similarly lowered and raised by means of a hydraulic system ora mechanical system 14. More especially to facilitate entry and exit of amphibious vehicles in large ships, the gate 4 can be provided with a ramp-like extension 12, which is hingedly connected at the point 13 to the gate 4 and which can be deflected by a hydraulic system 16 or the like. When the extension 12 is deflected downwardly, it is then possible for the gate or door 4 to be directly closed in water-tight manner. CLAIMS

1. A transporter ship having a hold for vehicles, the ship having at least one gate or door which is capable of being swung towards the surface of the water to form an access ramp for the entry and exit of amphbious vehicles, a pivot point of said gate or door being arranged to lie above the water level, and a ramp being provided within the hold, one end of the ramp being associated with said pivot point and the ramp being able to be supported at its opposite end on a floor of the hold and/or on an intermediate floor.

2. A ship as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ramp that is provided within the hold is connected for swivellable movement with the hull of the ship.

3. A ship as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said at least one gate or door and the ramp that is provided within the hold are mounted about a common pivot axis.

4. A ship as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the ramp that is provided within the hold is capable of being folded at a hinged connection to enable this ramp to be raised clear of the floor of the hold.

5. A ship as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one gate or door has a ramp-like extension hingedly connected thereto.

6. A ship as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein actuating means in the form of a hydraulic system or a mechanical cable winch is provided to raise and lower said at least one gate or door and/or said ramp provided within the hold.

7. A transporter ship having a hold for vehicles, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, with or without the modification of Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.

8. A method of loading and unloading a transporter ship as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, using amphibious vehicles, the method comprising, when loading, lowering said gate or door of the ship towards and into the water and loading amphious vehicles onto said ship via said gate or door in its access ramp position and via said ramp within said hold and stowing the vehicles on a said floor of the hold and/or on a said intermediate floor, and vice versa when unloading.

9. A method of loading and unloading a transporter ship as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, using amphibious vehicles, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, with or without the modification of Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.