Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
  • B63C9/00—Life-saving in water
  • B63C9/02—Lifeboats, life-rafts or the like, specially adapted for life-saving
  • B63C9/03—Lifeboats, life-rafts or the like, specially adapted for life-saving enclosed
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
  • B63C9/00—Life-saving in water
  • B63C9/02—Lifeboats, life-rafts or the like, specially adapted for life-saving
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B23/00—Equipment for handling lifeboats or the like
  • B63B23/30—Devices for guiding boats to water surface
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
  • B63C9/00—Life-saving in water
  • B63C9/02—Lifeboats, life-rafts or the like, specially adapted for life-saving
  • B63C9/03—Lifeboats, life-rafts or the like, specially adapted for life-saving enclosed
  • B63C2009/035—Enclosed lifeboats, or the like

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a security station at a ship, comprising lifeboats, the longitudinal direction of which coincides with the longitudinal direction of the ship and which are intended for launching at the long sides of the ship.
• lifeboats The traditionally most common sea saving equipment for ships is lifeboats.
• Lifeboats which earlier most often were made of wood but which at later times are manufactured of plastic or steel, are normally arranged in a row along each side of the ship and are suspended from davits, which may be turned out. If the ship heels over, however, only the lifeboats at one side can be securily launched, and especially on passenger ships the number of lifeboat places is not at all sufficient for all passengers. It is diffi ⁇ cult to get on board in such a lifeboat, and the launching is connected with very great dangers. After ship accidents it is much too common to find empty, non useable and capsi- zed lifeboats.
• Launching can also be made by means of a crane, in which case the raft is inflated and is suspended in the crane outside the rail, where passengers can get on board. In hard weather the risks are not negligable with this method.
• life belts or possibly life vests which shall be available for all passengers on a ship.
• each lifeboat which is arranged at a security station on a ship and which in a way known per se is enclosed, shall at least at one of its ends have a separate space between a tight, internal end wall, provided with a door, which leads into the lifeboat and in closed condition is water-tight, and the lifeboat hull, which here has an opening, the lower boarder of which pre ⁇ ferably is over the water surface, when the lifeboat is afloat.
• the crew of the lifeboat can work in the space and through the openings therein with the saving of persons in the water around the lifeboat with the aid of i a floating stretchers, so called bathing stairs or immer ⁇ sed, sloping stairs with handles.
• a floating stretchers so called bathing stairs or immer ⁇ sed, sloping stairs with handles.
• the space should have an upper manhole, which facili ⁇ tates passage to the interior. It shall also enable suspen ⁇ sion of lines, blocks and tackles, prolongable beat-hooks with exchangeable devices at the end, suitable for saving people, as well as anchors and drift-anchors
• the lifeboat can be provided with a foldable platform in the vacinity of the opening.
• a number of lifeboats can - in a way per se known for example by US-A-1 043 915 - be late- rally movably arranged in the crosswise direction of the ship along lifeboat ramps, which may be horisontal or be slightly sloping against the ship's sides.
• the lifeboat according to the invention is at each end provided with a gear wheel for cooperation with a rack of the ramp, the gear wheels being connected with each other by means of a motor driven shaft, which also is provided with a brake.
• racks use may for example be made of chains.
• the lifeboat When the pin extends all the way into the ear, the lifeboat is locked to the ramp (position 0) . In the next position, when the pin has been released from the ear but extends through the fitting piece, the lifeboat can be lif ⁇ ted from the ramp (position 1) . In the last position, when the pin also has been removed from the fitting piece, the lifeboat can start to move along the ramp (position 2) .
• the fitting piece is removably con ⁇ nected to the ramp by means of a hook shaped notch in enga ⁇ gement with a pivot of the ramp, an initial guiding of the fitting piece and thus the lifeboat is obtained, when the lifeboat leaves the ramp upwardly. At this stage the men ⁇ tioned line must leave its upwardly open hook.
• An alternative solution is to decrease the width of the upper leg of the used U-beam to the extent that it does not cover any part of the lifeboat gear wheel and to place a wheel on the pin between the gear wheel and the U-beam, which holds the gear wheel in engagement with the rack.
• the wheel is kept in place on the pin (for example at laun ⁇ ching) by means of for example a plate piece, which is movably attached around the shaft internally of the gear wheel.
• the mentioned movable hook is preferably arranged on a trolley freely slideable in a conveyor track under the ramp, the conveyor track being bent away from the ramp at the end thereof for the line to be stretched and the trol- ley to stay there and for allowing gathering and passing away of empty trolleies.
• a bigger, fixed hook - which is attached at the end of each ramp - is intended for catching the end loops of the lines rolled in the friction blocks and constitutes an alternative to the conveyor track with its movable, smaller hooks belonging to the respective lifeboat.
• the engagement between the gears in the friction blocks and the gear wheels of the lifeboats occurs in this alternative in the same way as in the earlier solution or in any other way.
• At a pos- sible pendulum movement care should be taken so that the rubber fenders do not get entangled with each other.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a passenger ship, equipped with safety stations
• Fig 2 is a perspective view along the arrows II-II in Fig 1 of a safety station and the deck in front thereof
• Fig 3 is a schematic section of a passenger ship, equipped in an alternative way with safety stations
• Fig 4 is an enlarged side view of a safety station and a lifeboat arranged therein,
• Fig 5 is a top view of a part of a safety station with three lifeboats arranged therein
• Fig 6 is a side view of a lifeboat preferred for use in a safety station according to the invention and placed on a passenger ship,
• Fig 7 is a top view of the lifeboat shown in Fig 6, only half of the boat however being shown, Fig 8 to a slightly greater scale than Figs 6 and 7 shows the preferred lifeboat from its stern or from the left in Fig 7,
• Fig 9 in a side view shows a ramp device for the launching of the lifeboat
• Fig 10 is a top view of the same ramp device
• Fig 11 is a cross section through the ramp device to a greater scale
• Fig 12 is a view corresponding to Fig 9 of the end portion of the ramp device and is intended to illustrate a position when the lifeboat has left the ramp device
• Fig 13 is a cross sectional view corresponding to Fig 11 of an alternative ramp device
• Fig 14 is a longitudinal section of an alternative prolongation ramp with a hoisting device and a course hook
• Fig 15 is a cross sectional view to a greater scale near the end of the ramp in Fig 14.
• Fig 1 is a very schematical side view of a passenger ship.
• the ship has a number of decks and at the uppermost deck a number of security stations A-E.
• a lifeboat Al-El is shown at each such safety station.
• a number of vertical security staircase housings extend through the ship, the double staircase housing between the security stations E and D being labelled ED, the double security staircase hou ⁇ sing between the security stations D and C being labelled DC, the single staircase housing for the security station A being labelled A, and the single staircase housing aft the security station E being labelled E. All staircase housings are protected against fire and smoke in a special way, and further there are lock devices at each entrance.
• the stair ⁇ case housings are also called security staircases.
• the security staircase housings extend through corri ⁇ dors in the entire ship and open on the deck where the security station is in the direction towards its own station.
• the corridors shall be wide, and the cabin doors are opened outwardly with the opening in the direction towards the closest security staircase.
• the corridors shall be provided with handles along both sides including the doors and suspended from the ceiling just over the doors, a handle being provided for each meter of the corridor width.
• a number of lifeboats can be laterally moveably arranged close to each other in the crosswise direction of the ship.
• Such a security station is a "channel" in the crosswise direction of the ship, in which the lifeboats are arranged in a row close to each other.
• Each such lifeboat can (see especially Figs 4, 5 and 6) at each of its ends - its bow and its stern - be provi ⁇ ded with a preferably through shaft 11, which has a wheel, gear wheel or the like 12, that is intended for cooperation with lifeboat ramps 13, which extend on either side of the lifeboats in the crosswise direction of the ship.
• the ramps 13 can be sloping to a certain extent downwards from the center of the ship towards its sides for facilitating the movements of the lifeboats towards the side of the ship, if the ship does not have a heeling, but can also be horison- tal.
• the lifeboat ramps 13 are provided with extendable, foldable or pivotable ramp extensions 13 ' , which are shown in Fig 2 and suggested in Fig 5.
• the lifeboats can be moved in either direction, depending on the circumstances, for launching. The movement can be con ⁇ trolled by means of engagement between the gear wheels 12 and the ramps 13; the operation can occur by means of motors and brakes in the lifeboat 10.
• the life- boat is controllably descended into the sea, and the life ⁇ boat is thus provided with suitable means herefor, descri ⁇ bed below. Further possibilities are that the lifeboat is lifted from the ramps 13 by the sea, when the ship sinks, or by means of a crane or helicopter.
• the lifeboat 10 shall be provided with suitable means for controlling such a lift.
• bottom sup ⁇ ports 14 can be arranged on the deck under them.
• These bottom supports 14 shall be removed, for example by means of hydraulic means operated from the lifeboat, but only at launching over the side of the ship.
• each lifeboat 10 can at both ends be provided with entrance doors 15 at the same level as the deck 16 at the security station, so that the passengers without any difficulty can walk directly from the deck 16 into the enclosed lifeboat 10.
• the interior in this version of the lifeboat 10 is suggested in Fig 4 and also in the uppermost lifeboat in Fig 5.
• Each enclosed lifeboat 10 is well isolated against heat (for example burning oil) and cold, is provided with sprinklers and is also in other respects constructed for withstanding great strains.
• the size of the lifeboat is adapted to the requirement on the ship.
• Each lifeboat is well equipped for a relatively long time in the sea and for example has toilet facilities.
• each passenger is given an address to his security station.
• Such an address can for example consist of a letter and a number, for example Cl, which indicates that this passenger shall go to the secu ⁇ rity station C and there choose lifeboat number 1.
• Cl a number
• he can choose staircase housing CB or staircase housing DC; thus, he has two ways to choose between. Having come to the deck 16 he moves against lifeboat number 1, which is clearly marked on the deck and at the entrance doors, as is shown in Fig 2 and also in Fig 5.
• Fig 3 alternative positions of security stations on a passenger ship with a considerable height, i e many decks, are illustrated.
• the security stations illustrated in Fig 3 can either have lifeboats 10, suspended in tunnels across the ship, or have lifeboats, which are suspended in pairs or individually along the ship's side. The latter position is however not recommended, as the lifeboats only can be launched on the side where they are suspended, when this side is the lowermost side, or, if this is the highest side, only at heelings up to 20°.
• One or more lifeboats can be positioned on the same ramps 13. Launching over the ship's side can in such a case occur at a heeling of up to 45° at either side.
• the inclination of the extension part can be 0 - 25° under the horisontal plane, whereas the ramps otherwise are either slightly inclined from the cen ⁇ ter outwards or horisontal.
• the extension portion shall be so long that the lifeboat 10, when the descent commences, gets well outside the ship's side, when the launching is on the right tack.
• These security stations can for example at a ship with twelve decks be arranged at decks numbers 7 and 8. By this more central position of the security station the advantages may be obtained that the boarding can occur in a protected environment and that the maximum transport ways to the stations decrease considerably, which leads to a faster and more secure evacuation of the ship's passeng ⁇ ers.
• the disposal of the life ⁇ boats 10 should preferably be in a number of security sta- tions across the entire width of the ship on the second to uppermost deck, where there are usually lounges of diffe ⁇ rent kinds. In this way the requirement is fulfilled that the passengers shall be able to get to the security sta ⁇ tions rapidly and securely and without being exposed to for example bad weather at boarding the lifeboats from the up ⁇ permost deck, which is usual.
• lifeboats 10 can be placed in ramps across the ship in a row, which is enough for all persons on board.
• the row should be placed on the deck aft the higher building for passengers.
• Passengers or crew mem ⁇ bers on the deck under the lifeboats can reach these in a fast way by ascending security staircases, which lead to openings near the staircases leading to the lifeboats.
• the security staircases can normally be horisontally suspended but shall rapidly be folded down, even if they are suspen ⁇ ded concealed.
• a lifeboat 10 which is preferred for use together with a security station according to the invention, is shown in Figs 6 - 8. It is provided with a through shaft 11, at each end ended with a gear wheel 12. It is provided with entrances at both ends and is steadily suspended in relation to the ship at heelings of up to 15° for the pur ⁇ pose to enable soonest possible manning of the lifeboats.
• the size of the lifeboat can be varied within wide limits, depending on the intended purpose, and it can for example house 3 - 4 persons for a fishing vessel up to at least 150 persons for a passenger ship of the kind defined above.
• the boat is secure against sinking and capsizing. It is completely enclosed and has a single deck, i e all the passengers are seated in one plane. It is equipped with one or more engines and propellers in such an arrangement that the boat is extremely easy to manoeuvre and that possible persons in the water around the boat do not risk to be hit by a rotating propeller.
• the lifeboat 10 is at each end designed with among other things an opening and a door. It is also equipped with sprinklers for enabling a passage through burning oil on the water.
• the hull of the lifeboat is thus provided with an opening 20.
• this opening 20 there is in the boat end wall 21, which is provided with a door 22.
• this door 22 is open at the boarding of the pas ⁇ sengers at the security station but is otherwise normally closed and is then water-tight.
• the opening 20 and the door 22 have such a height that the passengers easily can pass from the ship to the lifeboat via a staircase or the like leading to the opening 20.
• the opening and the door have preferably normal standing heights.
• Saved persons can then with or without a floating stretcher be brought into the lifeboat through the door 22, which preferably opens inwardly against the interior of the life ⁇ boat.
• a saving can be facilitated by snatch blocks, which can be suspended from the shaft 11 of the gear wheel 12, and lines with or without tackles.
• the lifeboat 10 can be provided with a foldable platform 23 in the vicinity of the opening 20.
• the space is upwardly preferably provided with a manhole 24.
• the lifeboat 10 it ⁇ self can be provided with a closable manhole 25 with a view in every direction.
• the lifeboat 10 is very robustly built for withstan- ding extreme strains. It can be provided with bottom tanks with buoyancy bodies, for example in the form of beads or balls, and can have a system of draining tubes of the kind shown in the Swedish patent application no 9501358-7.
• the lifeboat is outwardly provided with life lines 26, heavy rubber fenders and slanted staircases with handles for embarkation and debarkation; these staircases can also be used by persons in the water which have the ability to board the lifeboat themselves.
• the lifeboat can be provided with windows .
• the lifeboat 10 has a through motor driven shaft 11 with a brake, the shaft at each end being provided with a gear wheel 12 for engagement with a rack or the like in a ramp 13, which is horisontal or slightly slanted towards the ship's side.
• the coopera ⁇ tion between the gear wheel 12 (and means belonging thereto) and the ramp 13 (with means belonging thereto) shall now be further described under reference to Figs 9 - 12.
• the lifeboat can then by means of one or more chains, which are suspended from the ramp and extend down to the water and cooperate with the gear wheels 12 on the shaft 11, with the aid of runners, which hold the chains against their respective gear wheels, brakingly move down to the water surface, where the runners automatically are freed from the lifeboats by falling down or in that the remaining parts of the chains are concurrently run through the runners by means of the engine.
• the gear wheel shaft 11 of the lifeboat can be hollow and contain a pin 30.
• This pin 30 is axially movable and can be operated from the interior of the lifeboat 10, for example by means of hydraulic means, to either of three positions defined below.
• the pin 30 also extends through a fitting piece 33 of the ramp 13.
• This fitting piece 33 is formed on one hand of a lower portion, which can be stated to form part of the ramp 13, on the other hand an upper portion, which is pivo ⁇ ted and is releasably attached to the upper side of the ramp 13 by means of a pivot 34. If the pin 30 is withdrawn from its locking engage ⁇ ment with the ear 31 (position 0) but still is in engage ⁇ ment with the fitting piece 33 (position 1) , the lifeboat can be lifted from its engagement with the ramps 13, the first movement upwards being guided by the pivoting of the fitting piece 33 around the pivot 34, whereafter the fit ⁇ ting piece at continued lifting is released from the pivot 34.
• the lifting of the lifeboat can either occur with for example a rescue helicopter or by the buoyancy of the life ⁇ boat itself, if the ship sinks. If the pin 30 is withdrawn further, so that it is released from the fitting piece 33 (position 2) , the gear wheel 12 will be free to move along the rack in the ramp 13. This movement occurs preferably in the direction for the inclination of the ramp 13, i e normally to the lowest side of the ship. If the ship however has a heeling, the movement can occur in the direction against the highest side of the ship. The movement can normally be governed from the interior of the lifeboat by means of the engine therein, but it is also possible to choose a free movement.
• An alternative solution for releasing the lifeboat 10 appears from Fig 13.
• Fig 13 the upper leg of the U-beam 13 is shortened for enabling a lifting straight up of the gear wheel 12.
• a wheel 42 is arranged on the pin 30. If the pin is withdrawn in the wheel 42, the lifeboat can move freely along the ramps 13 for launching.
• the wheel 42 is held on the pin 30 of a plate piece 43 movably attached around the shaft 11 or in any other way.
• the lifeboat can be lifted by a helicopter or a crane or by the sea, if the ship is sinking.
• This embodiment is prefer ⁇ red, as the release of the lifeboat 10 from the ship occurs independently of where on the ramps the lifeboat is.
• this is a determining issue, especially if the lifeboats 10 are in movement along the ramps in any or several cases .
• a rotatable friction block 35 is arranged in the vicinity of the gear wheel 12.
• This block 35 is provided with a line 36 wound on a drum, the line only being withdrawable with a certain speed due to friction means arranged in the block.
• the block 35 is pro ⁇ vided with a gear wheel, which is at a certain distance from the gear wheel 12 of the lifeboat but is arranged to engage therewith, when the lifeboat 10 leaves the ramp 13, as described below.
• the line 36 has a length intended for the descent from the ship of the lifeboat 10 under normal conditions, and its inner end is releasably attached to its drum, for example by tape, so that the line 36 can be released from the drum when needed.
• the conveyor track 38 is bent away from the ramp 13 in the vicinity of the end thereof, which means that the trolley 39 enters this bent portion of the track 38, when the lifeboat 10 with the gear wheel 12 leaves the ramp 13, as is suggested in Fig 12, and starts to desend controllably towards the water with the speed determined by the friction block 35.
• the trolley 39 enters this bent portion of the track 38, when the lifeboat 10 with the gear wheel 12 leaves the ramp 13, as is suggested in Fig 12, and starts to desend controllably towards the water with the speed determined by the friction block 35.
• On the bent end portion of the conveyor track 38 trolleies 39 from several lifeboats arranged on the ramp 13 can be gathered and pushed out .
• the free end of the line 36 can alternatively also be so arranged that it can be caught in a secure way by big hooks 44 in the two outer ends of the ramps.
• the lifeboat will then be suspended in these hooks under the descent, which occurs automatically but can be braked from the interior of the lifeboat.
• the conveyor track 38 is not used in this alternative.
• the line 36 When the lifeboat after its descent has reached the water, the line 36 will be released from its drum in that its end as described above is releasably attached thereto. Alternatively, release can occur automatically or from the interior of the lifeboat by concurrent withdrawal of pins at point 40, when the lifeboat has reached the water sur ⁇ face and is afloat.
• the friction block 35 is connected to a point 40 related to gear wheel 12 by means of a lever 41. In the rest position shown in Fig 9 the friction block 35 will be held disengaged from the gear wheel 12 by means of gravity. When the gear wheel has left the ramp 13 and the line 36 has been tightened, as is shown in Fig 12, the pull in the line will force the friction block 35 into engagement with the gear wheel 12.
• the tools which hereby can be used are the ship's an ⁇ chors, if the water depth allows, a drift-anchor, if available and ready to be used, or the ship's mooring-cab- les. These cables are a great resource and have also been used as rudders by small and large ships. If one or two cables with one of their ends attached on board are laid out for example from the stern, the stern is hereby pivoted against the wind, so that the wind push against the highest side is decreased as well as the rolling, at the same time as the movement, which generally is about 1/10 of the wind speed, is considerably decreased, so that better conditions for launching on the lowest side are created.
• Lifeboats with launching devices are inspected yearly. There are requirements for lifeboats to be launched with the resources available on board.
• the invention fulfills this requirement, which appears from Figs 14 och 15. From a common wire drum wires 46 are led over a wheel to an attachment 45, which fits over the wheel 42, when the pin 30 has been withdrawn into the gear wheel 12. The pin is thereafter pushed in through the wheel 42 and the attachment 45. By means of the winch the lifeboat can then be pulled up to the level of the ramp extension 13' . A rack 47 is pushed out hydraulically or in any other way, so that it comes under the gear wheel 12. The lifeboat is descended on to the rack 47, whereafter the extension 13' is pulled in to its inner position. The gear wheels 12 are brought in on the extension 13' by means of a motor, and the attachment 45 is released in that the pin is withdrawn to the gear wheel 12.
• the reference numeral 48 indicates a support for the ramp 13, 49 an additional support for the ramp extension 13' and 50 an extending stopper for the wheel 42 on its way down along the rack.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)
• Building Environments (AREA)
• Specific Sealing Or Ventilating Devices For Doors And Windows (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=20401377

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Citations (7)

• 1996
  • 1996-02-14 SE SE9600529A patent/SE506045C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1997
  • 1997-02-11 KR KR1019980706306A patent/KR19990082568A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1997-02-11 EP EP97903694A patent/EP0879173A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-02-11 AU AU18168/97A patent/AU1816897A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-02-11 JP JP9529260A patent/JP2000504653A/ja active Pending
  • 1997-02-11 WO PCT/SE1997/000200 patent/WO1997029950A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (7)

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