US2107886A - Floating station - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 8, 1938. F. e. CREED FLOATING STATION Filed March 14, 1935 FrederQcK fieore Creed Patented Feb. 8, 1938 FLOATING STATION Frederick George Creed, Addiscombe, Croydon,

England Application March 14, 1935, Serial No. 10,980 In Great Britain March 15, 1934 3 Claims. (Cl. 114-435) In the specification of British Letters Patent No; 142,524, granted to me, is described an anchored'floating, structure adapted to serve the various purposes of a cable relay station, a Wire- 5 less station, a landing stage for aircraft, and a fueling/station for sea and aircraft, and

I equipped with all the machinery, apparatus and material necessary for giving help and information to ships and aircraft.

This structure is shown as a very large platform supported above wave action by three cylindrical floats, disposed triangularly, so as to give maximum stability, sunk well below the surface of the water; and having their axes nor- 1 mally parallel with the surface and with each other; .The structure is shown moored by along cable to a large buoy, which in turnis anchored to the bed of the sea by suitable cables. The telegraph cable is cut and the two ends brought o first to the buoy and thence to the cable station on the ship. It is stated that the floats might alternatively be more or less spherical in form, or the platform might be supported by a single spherical float. The floats are provided with sea- 25 anchors, in the form of discs, sunk deep in the j water, so as to resist vertical movement due to wave-action on the surface.

I Now the present invention has for its object theimprovement of such floating stations so as 39 to render them more stable, more rigid and strong, more convenient for the various purposes which they are to serve, and more convenient and less costly to construct, launch and to maintain.

35 3 According to this invention, the structure comprisesa deck, platformor the like carried by vertical cylindrical floats of uniform cross-section I throughout arranged in the form of a triangle, means being provided for enabling the structure to'float in water. This invention also comprises a composite structure consisting of the said struc- I ture together with extensions suitably attached thereto.

In one construction according to this inven 45' 'tion the deck or landing platform may be made in*the form of a T, or'in the form of an isosceles triangle having rounded or square corners and broadened at the apex, and having also a plane upper surface and suitably supported and stiff- 50 ened by girders, struts and staysunderneath.

This deck is supported at a suitable distance above the surface of the sea, and parallel therewith, by three cylindrical floats of uniform crosssection throughout having vertical axes, disposed 55 near the three corners of the deck, rigidly attached thereto, and extending downwards into the water to such a depth that at least twothirds of their length, or sufficient to give stability, will remain below the trough of the largest wave.

In the accompanying drawing, which is diagrammatic and is given by way of example only,

Figure Us a side elevation, and

Figure 2 is a plan of a composite structure according to this invention.

In the drawing, a is the platform which is supported at its base on two cylinders 12 and at its tip or apex on a single cylinder b This construction constitutes a complete unit, which lends itself with ease to extensions in various directions.

Examples of two extensions are illustrated in the drawing, that at the left hand end, shown at cjbeing supported on a cylinder 0 and hinged at d to the main platform, while that at the right hand end, shown at e, is supported on a cylinder e and is hinged at f to the main platform. Either or both of these extensions may be employed in conjunction with the main platform a.

It will be seen that the extension 0 at the left hand end, together with the base of the main platform a, is in effect a T-platform, supported at the points of a triangle, the main cylinders b being common to the main platform a and to the extension 0.

In the case of the extension e, the cylinder b is common to the same and to the main platform a, so that here again these parts are in effect together supported at the points'of a triangle of which the base contains the main cylinders b. The two parts of the structure thus arranged hinged together and supported will float freely with the minimum of relative movement an extension, of which the other end would be supported on two cylinders so as to complete the triangular arrangement of supports.

In another arrangement, the extension 0 may be replaced by a T-extension of which the head take the added weight will be suitably increased.

The extensions will have their own independent system of girders, struts and stays, and one or more of them may have a globular or cylindrical buoyancy body supporting, or helping to support its central portion.

Further additions may, of course, be added to the extensions, thus providing a composite structure of any desired shape and size. In some cases the main platform, either by itself or with an extension or extensions, may be made in the form of an isosceles triangle.

All the supporting cylinders may be formed with a number of water and air-tight compartments, and may contain compartments for fuel, stores, machinery, living and sleeping quarters and so forth. Or deck houses may be provided for any or all of these purposes. The details of construction may be variously arranged and the shape of the structure modified Without departing from the spirit of the invention. Steel or other suitable material may be employed throughout the structure.

The floating platform can be built in situ by floating the bases of the cylinders, suitably connected together, into position and then erecting the remaining portions of the cylinders and the superstructure upon them, thereby effecting economyin cost .of construction.

The length of the cylinders will conveniently be about 200 feet, in which casethe submerged portion may be 150 feet more or less. As the pressure of the water at that depth is considerable, the cylinders will be suitablystrengthened within, and the bottom ends may be cupped or concave. The diameter of each cylinder will depend upon the weight of that portion of the deck which it, has to support and the machinery, storesand so'forth which it may contain. Assuming that each cylinder has tosupport a total Weight of about 12;000 tons, its diameter may be 60 to '70 feet. The axes of the two cylinders which support the base or broad end of the deck may be set about 500 feet apart and the axis of the cylinder which supports the apex or narrow endof the deck may be set about 700 feet from each of the other two axes, The deck may extend about 150 feet beyond each axis. The. deck depth of, say, 100 feet or more below the surface,

at a point centrally of three supporting cylinders, and having a strong tube or pillar rising from it to the centre of the deck. Around the lower end of each supporting cylinder there may be arranged one or more broad flat rings or.

flanges hadapted to take hold of the water and minimize vertical movement caused by the waves. That portion of the cylinder which extends above the surface of the sea may bereduced in diameter, so as to be less affected by the actioniof the waves, and may be flattened or streamlined in a fore-and-aft sense, so as to offer less resistance to the wind. The exposed portion of the sup;- porting framework may be similarly streamlined. J

I claim: a

1. 'A floating structure for landing airplanes at sea comprising, three cylindrical floats triangularly disposed and a substantially rigid platform carried by said floats, each of said floats being disposed with its axis substantially vertical and extending from a point above the water to such depth that its bottom surface lies at such a depth as to be in substantially placid deep water in all conditions of the sea, each of said floats being of uniform cross section over its entire immersed depth and said three floats constituting the variable buoyancy support ofsaid platform. f

2. A structure in accordance with' claim 1 further comprising an. auxiliary platform, hinge means for attachingsaid auxiliary platform to said platform first mentioned and an auxiliary float attached to said auxiliary platform, said auxiliary platform being buoyantly supported by triangularly disposed floats of which at least one is constituted by one of said first mentioned floats and at least one other is constituted by.

7 F. G. CREED.

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