Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
  • B63G8/42—Towed underwater vessels
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
  • B63B21/56—Towing or pushing equipment
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
  • B63B21/56—Towing or pushing equipment
  • B63B21/66—Equipment specially adapted for towing underwater objects or vessels, e.g. fairings for tow-cables

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an underwater vehicle such as a submarine proper, equipped with a towing system.
• such a submarine has two distinct types of systems for towing.
• a towing vehicle provides a tow line such as for example a hawser.
• the crew of the submarine manually hooks this hawser on a hook also called towing hook or any other means of attachment equivalent towing the submarine.
• This hook or tow hook is then located at the front of the submarine and is accessible from the deck of the submarine for example under a panel or a flap removably attached to the rest of it.
• This hawser is then housed in a well or housing corresponding to the front of the submarine, this part of the submarine is also called the bow as on other types of ships.
• This hawser is connected to a pulling line which extends between the well or receiving housing thereof at the front of the submarine and a watch pit of a massif also called kiosk, of this subset. marine, from where submarine crew members can have easy and safe access to this line of pulling when the need arises and it is then appropriate to engage this towing operation.
• the watch pit is in fact the open part of the bulk or kiosk of the submarine, and more particularly of the upper part thereof, intended to receive crew members for different operations such as standby operations when the submarine is on the surface.
• the tear line then extends between this watch pit and the front of the submarine and more particularly the well thereof in which the hawser is stored, passing along the front wall of the massif and running under the bridge of it.
• This tear line is in fact housed in a chute or groove of the submarine closed by a tear-off lid.
• This cover is indeed for example made of panels or plates for example of composite material, extending on and closing the receiving chute thereof, to hide it.
• the crew of the tug seizes and then pulls on this line of tearing, which has the effect of pulling or extracting it from the corresponding receiving chute of the submarine, by retracting or tearing the panels or shutter plates thereof.
• the object of the invention is therefore to solve these problems.
• the invention relates to an underwater vehicle comprising a solid mass equipped with a watch pit and a towing system, characterized in that the towing system comprises zipline means extending between a hooking / unhooking position of a tow line, accessible from the underwater craft's watch pit and a towing position at the front of the submarine.
• - Zipline means comprise a tip, support and guide the tow line from the watch pit to a tow hook in the towing position at the front of the underwater vehicle;
• the support and guide end is movable between a retracted storage position in a storage groove of the underwater vehicle, extending between the standby pit and the towing position and an active position of support and guidance of the tow line, in which this end extends between the watch pit and the front of the submarine;
• the tip is movable from its storage position to its active position by pulling on one end thereof accessible from the watch pit of the underwater vehicle;
• the return means comprise a return end mechanism and return pulley, housed at least partly in the storage groove and one end of the return end is fixed on the support end and guide and the other end is accessible from the watch pit of the underwater vehicle.
• FIGS. 1 and 2 show schematic side views of a portion of an underwater vehicle according to the invention in which means in the form of zipline are represented respectively in the retracted position of storage and active towing.
• This submarine 1 then comprises conventionally a submarine body designated by the general reference 2 and a massive or kiosk, designated by the general reference 3.
• This solid mass also includes, in a manner known per se, a watch pit designated by the general reference 4, in which crew members can keep themselves safe, for operations generally related, for example, to maneuvering the sub-unit. marine.
• this underwater vehicle comprises a towing system designated by the general reference 5 and comprising for example a hook or tow hook or trailer.
• This trailer hook can be of course in a conventional manner, associated with an emergency release system which will not be described in more detail later.
• the towing system comprises zipline means extending between a hooking / unhooking position of a tow line of the submarine, accessible to the crew, from the underwater vehicle watch pit and a tow position at the bow of the submarine.
• the means in the form of a zip line are designated by the general reference 6 and the submarine tow line is designated by the general reference 7.
• the zipline means designated by the general reference 6 comprise a tip designated by the general reference 8, support and guidance of this tow line 7.
• this end or cable may be envisaged and it may for example be in DYNEEMA, KEVLAR or others, DYNEEMA and KEVLAR being registered trademarks respectively registered by the companies DSM and DUPONT.
• This tow line 7 can then be connected to this end of support and guidance by the crew of the submarine in the watch pit, and be translated from the watch pit 4 to the towing hook 5, in the towing position at the front of the underwater vehicle.
• the crew does not leave the pit during these various operations and maneuvers.
• this support and guide end 8 is received in the retracted storage position of this end in a groove or corresponding storage slide of the underwater vehicle.
• This groove or storage slide is designated by the general reference 9 in Figure 1, which illustrates the means in the form of zip line, that is to say for example the support and guide end 8, in the storage position in the corresponding storage groove 9 of the underwater vehicle.
• this groove 9 then extends for example from an end accessible from the watch hole 4 of the submarine massif, along the wall for example connecting this massif to the deck of the underwater vehicle and running along this deck of this submarine, up to the towing hook.
• One end of the support and guide end 8 is then accessible from the standby pit 4, for example to crew members of the underwater vehicle, to move this support and guide end 8, by pulling on this end, from its storage position in the groove 9 as shown in Figure 1, to an active position of support and guidance of the tow line 7, wherein the support and guide end 8 extends between the watch pit 4 and the front of the submarine and was therefore removed from the storage groove 9 by the crew.
• Return means in the retracted position for storing the support and guide end 8 in the corresponding groove 9 of the underwater vehicle may also be provided.
• biasing means are designated by the general reference 10 and comprise for example a return end mechanism designated by the general reference 1 1 and associated with a return pulley designated by the general reference 12.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)
• Electric Cable Installation (AREA)
• Laying Of Electric Cables Or Lines Outside (AREA)
• Cleaning Or Clearing Of The Surface Of Open Water (AREA)
• Measurement Of Velocity Or Position Using Acoustic Or Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (3)

• 2012
  • 2012-12-05 FR FR1261663A patent/FR2998864B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2013
  • 2013-12-04 EP EP13802573.9A patent/EP2928766B1/fr active Active
  • 2013-12-04 ES ES13802573.9T patent/ES2601243T3/es active Active
  • 2013-12-04 WO PCT/EP2013/075465 patent/WO2014086820A2/fr active Application Filing
  • 2013-12-04 KR KR1020157012598A patent/KR102184639B1/ko active IP Right Grant

Patent Citations (3)

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