US1821310A

US1821310A - Floating harbor

Info

Publication number: US1821310A
Application number: US444257A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence W King
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1930-04-14
Filing date: 1930-04-14
Publication date: 1931-09-01
Anticipated expiration: 1948-09-01

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet l NN ww. j wn N) C. W. KING FLOATING HARBOR Filed April 14. 1930 Sept. 1, 1931.

C. W. KING FLOATING HARBOR sept. Y1, 1931.

5 Sheets-Sheet '4 Filed April 14. 1930 c. w. KING FLOATING HARBOR Sept. 1, 1931.

Filed April 14. 1950 5 ShetS--Sheed 5 ,45 pointed prow Patented Sept. 1, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oEFlcE FLOATTNG manon Application led April 14,

This invention relates to floating harbors, for hydroplanes and other vessels, of that class shown and described in my application Serial No. 405,423, tiled November 7, 1929, and

Q comprising long separated hulls connected in front by a pointed prow or breakwater, and also rigidly connected throughout. their length, or mainly so, by cross braces arranged aV suitable distance below the water line, to

afford protected water spaces for hydroplanes or other vessels. This floating harbor 'comprising these long floating hulls will be held with its pointed prow or breakwater against the. wind, and the vessels seeking refuge will enter the open end of the harbor opposite said pointed prow. It has been found by experiment, however, that a long floating harbor, either anchored or held against the wind by propellers, is liable to a considerable pitching motion when the water is rough, and the wave motion may thus be imparted to the water of the harbor; and the present invention relates to means for checking such pitching motion when vessels are entering or leaving the harbor.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a side view of a floating harbor embodying one form of the present invention and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross section, on an enlarged scale, on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a pitching-checking device applied as shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of two forms of pitching-checking devices different from that shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating an approved form of anchoring device for use in connection with the floating harbor. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the improved harbor,

to graphically illustrate the invention.

Referring tothe drawings, 12 denotes long hulls separated from each other at suitable distances to afford a harbor space between them and connected together in front by a or breakwater 13. A part 12a of one of the floating hulls 12 will preferably be of suf'ricient size to aiord storage room for machinery and other supplies for hydroplanes 0r other vessels, and also to afford quarters for crews and passengers of vessels seeking plates 18 1930. Serial N0. 444,257.

the protection of the harbor and of the crews manning the harbor.

The main floating hulls 12 may be supplemented by minor floating hulls 14 connected wlth the main hulls 12 by suitable braces 15; 55 and overlying these braces 15 are decks or floors 16 which will serve to prevent the outside wave motion from being imparted to the water of the harbor, said decks or floors 16 being rigidly connected with the hulls 12, 12a 60 and 14. The hulls are connected together by a system of braces 17 arranged a suitable distance below the Water-line to afford a proper space in which hydroplanes or other vessels seeking protection may float. Attached to the

hulls

12 and 14 are vertically disposed preferably extending some distance above and below the Water, said plates assisting in preventing the outside wave action from being transmitted to the harbor.

To check the pitching motions of the floating harbor in rough water various devices may be employed. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 Wells 19 are located near the rear ends of the hulls and also near the front end of the prow or breakwater 13. In each of these wells a horizontally disposed propeller 20 is located, such propeller being preferably driven from an electric motor also mounted in each Well, as is more clearly shown in Fig. 4. The motors driving the propellers 20 will be manually or mechanically controlled in such a manner as to operate reversely alternately, at different ends of the floating harbor, and by this alternate reverse operation the pitching tendency of 'the harbor will be checked or neutralized.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 caissons 23, with closed tops, may be `90 arranged similar to the Wells 19 in the harbor, these caissons being connected to air pumps 24 which will be operated reversely to force compressed air into the upper parts of said caissons and thus check the pitching tendency of the harbor. These pumps may be operated in any suitable manner, as by an electrically driven gear 25 meshing with a rack 26 on a piston rod 27 connecting the pistons of the reversely-acting air pumps.

Supplementing the action of the reversely operating air pumps or in substitution of the same, if desired, the air spaces of the caissons 23 may be connected by a pipe 32 extending lengthwise of the harbor, as do also the air pumps, the down-turned ends of said pipe communicating with said air spaces so that pitching movements et the harbor will force air alternatively from one caisson to the other, thus automatically checking pitching movements of the harbor. The passage et the air through the pipe 32 may be controlled by a manually controlled valve at 33.

F ig. 6 shows still another form of the invention by Which a pitching inotion of the harbor may be checked by large vertically reciprocating disks 28 carried by rods 29 each having a rack 30 engaged by a pinion 3l which may be electrically driven by suitably connected motors. These vertically reciprocating disks, located at or near the opposite ends of the harbor` like the wells 19, will be alternately operated, that at the front end of the harbor goingl up while those at the opposite` end of the harbor are going down.

rlhe improved Heating harbor 'will prefer ably be equipped with power-driven propel- 1ers 34 arranged to act forward or sidewise or obliquely and by which the harbor may be navigated, turned or held against the wind either when anchored or free.

From'the foregoing it will be understood that a pitching motion et the floating harbor may be controlled or checked by various devices; and the invention is therefore not to be understood as being limited to the particular devices shown, as other devices, within the limits of mechanical skill, may be employed for this purpose without departing from the essence of the invention.

A suitable means for anchoring the floating harbor or a buoy is shown in Fig. 7, in which 35 denotes a cable connecting a hull or buoy 36 with a. float 27 from which said cable extends to a weight 38, normally resting on the ground or sea bottom, and thence to an anchor or heavy weight 39 on the ground 0r bottom. To counterbalance the submerged weight of the cable the latter is provided with floats 40 which may be airtight vessels preferably cylindrical or spherical shape. When the harbor is displaced, as

shown in dotted lines, by wind or wave action, the weight 38 will be lifted but will assist in restoring the harbor to its Hrst position, as will be understood.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A long Heating harbor comprising a system of long spaced-apart hulls and plates which form the two sides of the harbor and whose ends are connected together in front to form a suitable hreakwater, said hulls and plates being rigidly connected throughout their len ths by cross braces arranged some distance elow the Water-line, combined with means for checking the pitching movements of the floating harbor.

2. A long floating harbor comprising a system of long spaced-apart hulls and plates which ferm the two sides of the harbor and whose ends are connected together in front to form a suitable breakwater, said hulls and plates being rigidly connected throughout their lengths, by cross braces arranged some distance below the water-line, said hulls being provided with propellers arranged to act at difcrent angles, and by which the harbor may be navigated or turned and held against the wind.

3. A floating harbor comprising a system of long space -apart hulls and plates which form the two sides of the harbor and whose ends are connected together in front to form a suitable breakwater, said hulls and plates being rigidly connected throughout their lengths by cross braces arranged some distance below the water-line, combined with means for checking the pitching movements ot the Heating harbor, said means comprising wells at opposite ends of the harbor, and horizontally arranged power-driven propel- 1ers in said Wells.

4. The combination with a Heating harbor, of an anchoring device comprising a cable connectingahull part of said harboror a buoy with a float, and extending thence to a weight normally resting on the ground or sea bottom, said cable extending from said weight to an anchoring member, the submerged part of said cable being provided with Heats to counterbalance its weight.

5. A long Heating harbor comprising a system of long spaced-apart hulls forming the sides of the harbor and connected together throughout their lengths by cross braces arranged belew the water line, combined with caissons arranged toward or near the opposite ends of the harbor and having closed tops, and means tor causing air to enter the air spaces in the upper parts of said caissons alternately, so as to check pitching movements of the harbor.

6. A long Heating harbor comprising a system of long spaced-apart hauls forming the sides of the harbor and connected together throughout their lengths by cross braces arranged below the Water line, combined with disks located at or near the opposite ends of the harbor below the water line, and means for reciprocating the said disks vertically alternately, so as to check pitching movements of the harbor.

7. A long Heating harbor comprising a.

system of long spacedapart hulls and plates which form the two sides of the harbor and whose ends are connected together in front to form a suitable breakwater, said hulls and plates being rigidly connected throughout their lengths by cross braces arranged some distance below the water-line, combined with alternately-acting devices, located near the opposite ends of the harbor, for checking the pitching movements of the Boating harbor. 1n testimony whereof I aix my slgnature.

CLARENCE W. KING.