US3774565A

US3774565A - Lighter carrying marine vessel

Info

Publication number: US3774565A
Application number: US00270408A
Authority: US
Inventors: H Paxos
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-07-10
Filing date: 1972-07-10
Publication date: 1973-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1990-11-27

Abstract

A marine vessel having a stepped cargo deck for selective float loading and unloading lighters. The open sided cargo deck is stepped upward in a plurality of steps from amidships to both ends of the vessel for receiving a lighter on each step. A supporting hull is compartmented into a plurality of trimming tanks and pumps provide power for pumping water into and out of the trimming tanks for trimming the vessel. The vertical distance of each step from adjacent steps is coordinated with a selective trim of the vessel to provide a lighter floating depth of water over each of said steps as selected and in any sequence. Thus by merely changing the vessel''s trim, lighters may be float loaded and unloaded singly and in any order.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Paxos Nov. 27, 1973 LIGHTER CARRYING MARINE VESSEL [76] Inventor: l lgctgr V. Paxos, 2728 Valentive 'CF11NmQrlsaaaLaZOl1 [22] Filed: July 10, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 270,408

[52] US. Cl. 114/43.5, 114/77 A [51] Int. Cl. B63b 35/42 [58] Field of Search 1l4/43.5, 72 R, 77 R, 114/77 A, 65, 78; 214/12, 13, 15 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,682,751 7/1954 Bock 1l4/43.5 1,901,877 3/1933 Maloney. 114/43.5 2,406,084 8/1946 Levin 114/43.5 3,515,085 6/1970 Auzins.... ll4/43.-5 3,556,036 1/1971 Wells l14/43.5 3,403,652 10/1968 Hardy 114/43.5 3,019,757 2/1962 Bailey 114/85 Primary Examiner-Duane A. Reger Assistant Examiner-Galen L. Barefoot Att0rney.lames B. Lake, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A marine vessel having a stepped cargo deck for selective float loading and unloading lighters. The open sided cargo deck is stepped upward in a plurality of steps from amidships to both ends of the vessel for receiving a lighter on each step. A supporting hull is compartmented into a plurality of trimming tanks and pumps provide power for pumping water into and out of the trimming tanks for trimming the vessel. The vertical distance of each step from adjacent steps is coordinated with a selective trim of the vessel to provide a lighter floating depth of water over each of said steps as selected and in any sequence. Thus by merely changing the vessels trim, lighters may be float loaded and unloaded singly and in any order.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures LIGHTER CARRYING MARINE VESSEL The invention relates to lighter carrying marine vessels, and more particularly to marine vessels in which lighters are float loadable and unloadable singly and in any order.

Heretofore lighters have been loaded in marine vessels by cranes as in LASl-l vessels, or the vessels have been trimmed for all lighter positions thereon to be simultaneously covered by lighter floating depths of water.

It is an object of the invention to provide a marine vessel in which lighters may be loaded and unloaded by trimming the vessel for each lighter to be waterborne independently of the others in its place and in any desired order on the vessel.

Other objects and a more complete understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following specification, claims and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a marine vessel according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of said vessel, and

FIG. 3 is an end view of said vessel.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the invention comprises aship 1 1 with a stepped open sided cargo deck 12. A hull 14 supports cargo deck 12 and is divided into trimming tanks 16 that are operably connected with pumps 17 installed in an end 18 of said vessel for selectively flooding and emptying trimming tanks 16 to longitudinally trim the vessel to any desired waterline 20. The waterline 20 can be conformed to any of the steps 1-10 of the cargo deck 12 to provide floating depths of water thereon and on no other step for floating a lighter on or off said step, and similarly for other steps and lighters respectively therefor. The steps 1-10 are vertically spaced apart distances that in cooperation with individually specific trims provides lighter floating depths over only a specified step at a time.

Thus referring to FIG. 2, the waterline 20 can be shifted from a towing trim A to a loading trim B in which the amidships steps and 6 are the only ones providing a draft sufficient to float lighters 22 into position thereon. Trim B is accomplished by equally flooding an equal number of fore and aft trimming tanks 16. By unequally flooding fore and aft trimming tanks 16 each of the other steps can be independently covered to a depth sufficient to float a-lighter by trimming a loading trim C-D, E-F, D-C, and F-E and trims intermediate thereto. Castings 24 are mounted on the steps of cargo deck 12 and adjusted for the angle matching the attitude of a lighter ,22 when the vessel is trimmed for floating said lighter onto a step.

Hull 14 is stiffened by a longitudinal walkway 26. Power jacks 28 are mounted on said walkway for holding lighters in place on their respective steps after they are positioned thereon with power winches 30, also mounted on walkway 26. I

What is claimed is:

1. A lighter carrying marine vessel, having fore and aft ends, comprising:

a hull defining a plurality of independently floodable trimming tanks between said fore and aft ends of said vessel, for trimming said vessel fore and aft to any desired waterline; an open sided cargo deck supported on said hull for receiving lighters through said open sides; a plurality of successive athwartship step means, defined by said open sided cargo deck, extending between its open sides, said step means rising in respective fore and aft directions from a low amidship step means, the rise of each successive step means being coordinated with a selected trim of the vessel for respectively providing a waterline with lighter floating depths of water over a step means associated with said specific trim; and a pump mounted in an end of said vessel and operably connected to said trimming tanks for the independent flooding and emptying thereof, whereby said vessel can be trimmed for loading and unloading a lighter through said open sides on and off any step means in any sequence and without floating any other lighters loaded on their respective step means.

2. Method of singly and in any sequence float load and unload lighters on to and off of respective steps of an open sided, transversely stepped cargo deck of a I lighter carrying vessel having trimming means mounted place and unaffected on their respective steps.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION v patent 7 Dated November 27, 1973 Inventor(s) Hector Z S It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the Cover sheet I76] "Hector V. Pajcos" should read Hector V. Pazos Signed and sealed this 17th day of September 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer USCOMM'DC 60376-P69 US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 5 I9? 0-366-334,

] FORM PO-1050 (1069) I

Claims

1. A lighter carrying marine vessel, having fore and aft ends, comprising: a hull defining a plurality of independently floodable trimming tanks between said fore and aft ends of said vessel, for trimming said vessel fore and aft to any desired waterline; an open sided cargo deck supported on said hull for receiving lighters through said open sides; a plurality of successive athwartship step means, defined by said open sided cargo deck, extending between its open sides, said step means rising in respective fore and aft directions from a low amidship step means, the rise of each successive step means being coordinated with a selected trim of the vessel for respectively providing a waterline with lighter floating depths of water over a step means associated with said specific trim; and a pump mounted in an end of said vessel and operably connected to said trimming tanks for the independent flooding and emptying thereof, whereby said vessel can be trimmed for loading and unloading a lighter through said open sides on and off any step means in any sequence and without floating any other lighters loaded on their respective step means.

2. Method of singly and in any sequence float load and unload lighters on to and off of respective steps of an open sided, transversely stepped cargo deck of a lighter carrying vessel having trimming means mounted therein for fore and aft trimming of said vessel, comprising the steps of: trimming said vessel with said trimming means to a fore and aft waterline for submerging an associated step to a lighter floating depth of water; prearranging said steps from a low amidship with successive fore and aft rises that are sized to provide less than lighter floating depths of water over all other steps than said associated step; and floating a lighter on and off said associated step , other lighters remaining in place and unaffected on their respective steps.