US1772861A

US1772861A - Marking and salvaging device for sunken ships

Info

Publication number: US1772861A
Application number: US396231A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ellingson Elling
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1929-09-30
Filing date: 1929-09-30
Publication date: 1930-08-12
Anticipated expiration: 1947-08-12

Description

2, 1 936. E. ELLINGSON 1,772,861

MAI RKING AND SALVAGING DEVICE FOR SUNKEN SHIPS FiledSept. 30, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l wa /v70? ELLNG ELLNGSON. 5

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Aug. 12, 1930. E. ELLINGSON 1,772,861

MARKING AND SALVAGING DEVICE FOR SUNKEN SHIPS Filed Sept. 50, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 12, 1930 UNiTE STATES ELLING ELLINGSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA MARKING AND SALVAGIN G DEVICE FOR SUNKEN SHIPS Application filed September 30, 1829.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for markin the position of sunken ships wherein a palr of floats are provided with a line having its ends connected to and wound upon the floats and engaging a mooring member secured to a ship whereby the line may be unwound from the floats as said floats rise to the surface to moor the same to the ship and mark its positiom-said line also serving to provide means for attaching a cable to the ship for raising and salvaging the same.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved device for marking the position of sunken ships whereby said ships may be easily located from the surface of the water.

Another object is to provide an improved marking device of the character described which automatically accommodates itself to Z0 extreme depths of water. I

A further object is to provide an improved device of the character described which will aiford simple and eflective means for attaching a cable to the ship for raising and salvaging the same.

Another object is to provide an improved device by which a cable may be attached from the surface of the water to a sunken ship, the attaching means being arranged to direct the 4 lifting power directly upon the keel of the shi A still further object is to provide an improved device of the character described which is simple and eflicient and which may be easily and economically installed.

I accomplish these and other objects by means of the improved device disclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present application wherein like characters of reference arev used to designate similar parts throughout the specification and drawings, and in which.

Fig. l is a broken transverse diagrammatic section of the hull of a ship showing the manner in which my improved device is mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the marker float drums and the mounting and connections therefor;

Fig. 3 is a broken side elevation, partly in Serial No. 396,231.

section of the device as shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. i is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in which my improved device marks the position of a sunken ship;

Fig. 5 is a similar diagrammatic view showing the manner in which the device operates to mark the position of a ship sunk in an extreme depth of water; and

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the mooring member showing the manner in which it is rigidly connected to the ship.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 is used to designate in general the hull of a ship. A pair of

floats

2 and 3 are detachably mounted in any convenient position upon the ship, upon opposite sides of a mooring member 4 secured to the ship 1. The floats preferably consist of hollow buoyant drums of substantially different size and each provided with annular flanges 6 at the ends thereof. A suitable flexible line 7 has its ends secured to

opposite floats

2 and 3 said line being extended through a slip sleeve 8, formed upon the mooring member 4, and

wound substantially equally upon the

floats

2 and 3 between the end flanges 6 thereof.

In the drawings I have illustrated a mounting means consisting of a pair of bearing brackets 9 engaging axially disposed mounting extensions 11 arranged upon the ends of the floats. Bearing blocks 12 are loosely held across the top of the brackets 9 and extensions 11 by means of pins 14 normally holding the floats against shifting and permitting the floats to be readily released to float to the surface of the water in event the ship sinks. The mooring member l is rigidly secured to rigid vertical members 16 extending to and rigidly connected to the keel 17 of the ship. The slip-sleeve 8 of the mooring member is made relatively large so as to accommodate a relatively heavy cable such as suitable for lifting a sunken ship.

In operation, the line? is wound upon the drum-like'floats as shown in Figs. 2 and 8 of the drawings, the ends of the line being readily wound upon the floats by rotating the same upon the bearing brackets upon which they are supported. Inevent the ship sinks, the buoyancy of the

floats

2 and 3 causes till said floats to be lifted clear of their mountings. As the floats rise to the surface of the water, the portion of the line carried upon each float is unwound. When the floats reach the surface, the line 7, extending through the slip-sleeve 8 of the mooring member 4, moors the floats to the ship and thereby marks the position of the sunken ship. The length of line wound upon each drum is sufficient to permit both floats to rise to the surface when the ship sinks in any ordinary depth of water, as indicated in Fig. L of the drawings. Should the ship sink in an extreme depth of water, the larger float 2 will rise to the surface of the water and the smaller float will be submerged, as indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the line 7 being moved through the slip sleeve 8 to pay out the additional l ngth of line necessary to permit the larger float to rise to the surface as the smaller float is submerged due to the greater buoyancy of the larger float. The marking device will automatically accommodate itself to unusual depths of water and effectively mark the location of the sunken ship so long as the depth of water does not exceed the total length of the line 7 carried by the two

floats

2 and 3.

In addition to marking the location of a sunken ship, my improved device also affords a simple and effective means for attaching a cable to the ship whereby the ship may be raised and salvaged. In this connection, one end of the line 7 is disconnected from its float and a suitable cable, not shown, is secured thereto. By taking in the line 7 at its opposite end, the line is moved through the slip-sleeve 8 and the cable drawn downwardly and through said sleeve and back to the surface of the water, thus making a loop of the cable through the mooring member 4. By thus threading cables of progressively increasing size and strength. a heavy cable, such as may be necessary for raising the ship, may be attached to the ship through the mooring member 4. As above explained, the mooring member 4: is preferably mounted in connection with a rigid member 16 connected directly to the keel of the ship whereby the lifting force may be applied to the keel to raise the ship, the lifting force thus being distributed evenly without subjecting any portion o the ship to excessive strain.

lVhile I have illustrated only one embodiment of my invention and have shown only a single pair of floats as applied upon a ship the specific structure and arrangement may of course be modified in a great number of ways, and any desired number of pairs of floats may be installed upon a ship without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore do not wish to restrict myself to the specific structure and arrangement disclosed, but desire to avail myself of all modiflcations which may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for marking sunken ships comprising a pair of floats of different size mounted upon a ship; a line having its ends wound upon the floats and arranged to be unwound therefrom when the floats rise to the surface of the water in event the ship sinks; and means connected to the ship and engaging the line intermediate to the floats to moor the floats to the ship whereby the ship may be located after sinking, said line being freely movable through the mooring means to permit the lesser float to be submerged by the greater and the greater float to rise to the surface when the length of line is insufiicient to permit both floats to rise to the surface.

2. A device for marking sunken ships comprising a pair of floats detachably mounted upon a ship, said floats being of different size and each consisting of a hollow buoyant drum; a line having an end secured to each float drum and wound in substantially equal lengths upon the drums and arranged to be unwound therefrom as said float drums rise to the surface of the water in event the ship sinks; and a mooring member rigidly secured to the ship and engaging the line intermediate the float drums to moor said floats to the ship whereby the ship may be located from the surface after sinking, the line being freely movable in either direction through the mooring member.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my signature.

ELLING ELLINGSON.