Vessel for flotation loading and unloading and partial buoyancy support of barges and other floating cargoes

Abstract

A vessel for transporting, on a body of water, cargo consisting of barges, pontoons, and lighters, and other floating cargoes. The hull has a bow, a stern, and water-tight buoyancy compartments in side walls. The hull also has a perforate bottom shell with rigid supporting and reinforcing structure, enabling the cargo hold to be flooded and open to the sea under all conditions while loading, in transit, and during discharge. A hinged gate is provided at either or both ends of the hull for rapid flotation loading and unloading of the floating cargo, and each gate closed during transportation of the cargo. The vessel carries means for moving the cargo into, out of, and within the hold. A series of vertical pistons secure the floating cargo units by exerting a downward force to bring the cargo to bear on the hull structure. The water in the hold, having communication with the sea, provides buoyancy for the cargoes secured therein. This buoyancy supports most of the deadweight of floating cargoes, so that typically only a minor portion of the deadweight is carried by the vessel. In the case where the buoyancy of some cargo unit in the secured position exceeds its weight, such as in a lightly loaded barge, a transfer of buoyancy to the vessel assists the vessel in supporting the heavier floating cargo units. Thus such buoyancy and the transfer of buoyancy by floating cargo units to support the cargo's own weight reduces the load carried by the vessel, enabling a structural saving in its weight; this, together with rapid loading and unloading, provide a more efficient transportation system.

We claim: 
     
       1. A vessel for transport of a floating buoyant cargo such as barges, lighters, and pontoons, wherein said cargo is partially supported in the vessel by its own buoyancy, including in combination: a hull having a bottom shell with rigid submarine cargo-supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, and a hollow enclosed interior including a cargo hold, said shell having openings communicating with said hold for free passage of water therethrough into and out from said hold at all times, so that said hold is always flooded,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy compartments to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means in said hull for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of said floating cargo and for closing during transportation thereof, and   securing means for releasably locking said cargo in place in said flooded hold against movement relative to said hull all during a voyage of said vessel, with a lower portion of said cargo engaging said submarine cargo-supporting structure, said securing means including means for engaging an upper portion of said cargo,   whereby the water in the flooded hold enables the buoyancy of the cargo to support the cargo, at least in part.   
     
     
       2. The vessel of claim 1 having means for operating all said securing means simultaneously. 
     
     
       3. The vessel of claim 1 wherein said securing means comprises a series of hydraulically actuated locking spuds mounted to an upper part of said vessel which is rigidly connected to said hull for downward movement toward said cargo-supporting structure. 
     
     
       4. The vessel of the claim 3 wherein each of said locking spuds comprises a stationary piston and a movable cylinder. 
     
     
       5. The vessel of claim 4 having a single hydraulic fluid system for simultaneous operation of all spuds. 
     
     
       6. The vessel of claim 4 having a hydraulic fluid system for separate actuation of each of said spuds. 
     
     
       7. The vessel of claim 1 wherein said gate means comprises a bow gate having horizontal pivot means above waterline and opening upward. 
     
     
       8. The vessel of claim 1 wherein said gate means comprises a stern gate having horizontal pivot means above waterline and opening upward. 
     
     
       9. The vessel of claim 1 wherein said gate means comprises both a bow gate and a stern gate, each having horizontal pivot means above waterline and opening upward. 
     
     
       10. A vessel for transport of a floating buoyant cargo such as barges, lighters, and pontoons, wherein said cargo is partially supported in the vessel by its own buoyancy and the cargo is also secured to the vessel in such a way as to enable transfer to the vessel of a significant part of the buoyancy of the cargo all during the voyage, including in combination: a hull having a bottom shell with rigid submarine cargo-supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, and a hollow interior including a cargo hold, said shell having openings communicating with said hold for free passage of water therethrough into and out from said hold at all times, so that said hold is always flooded,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy compartments to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means in said hull for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of said floating cargo and for closing during transportation thereof, and   buoyancy transfer and securing means for releasably locking said cargo in place in said flooded hold against movement relative to said hull all during a voyage of said vessel, with a lower portion of said cargo engaging said submarine cargo-supporting structure, said buoyancy transfer and securing means including means for engaging an upper portion of said cargo,   whereby the water in the flooded hold enables the buoyancy of the cargo to support, at least in part, the cargo and that water cooperates with the buoyancy transfer and securing means to transfer part of the buoyancy of the cargo to said hull, to help to support the weight of said vessel.   
     
     
       11. The vessel of claim 10 wherein said cargo comprises a series of identical floating containers, each said container having an upper end with a vertical projection adjacent each corner and a lower end with a vertical recess adjacent to each corner, said buoyancy support and securing means comprising: lower projections extending up vertically from said rigid submarine cargo-supporting structure for engagement in said recesses for aligning said containers, and   a series of locking spuds for releasably locking said containers in place where their lower ends engage the lower projections from said submarine cargo-supporting structure, said spuds including means for engaging said upper end projections of each said container.   
     
     
       12. The vessel of claim 11 wherein said locking spuds comprise a stationary piston and a movable cylinder contained in said spud and secured to said spud by a central trunnion pin. 
     
     
       13. The vessel of claim 12 having a single fluid system for all said pistons and cylinders and providing for simultaneous operation of all said spuds. 
     
     
       14. The vessel of claim 12 having a hydraulic fluid system for separately actuating each of said spuds. 
     
     
       15. The vessel of claim 11 wherein each of said .[.puds.]. .Iadd.spuds .Iaddend.except those as the extreme ends of the ship having vertical recesses for engaging the projections of two said containers. 
     
     
       16. The vessel of claim 11 having a single hydraulic fluid system for actuating all of the spuds simultaneously. 
     
     
       17. The vessel of claim 10 wherein said rigid submarine cargo-supporting and hull-reinforcing structure comprises a series of watertight box beams extending transversely of said hull, said hull bottom being imperforate at said box beams. 
     
     
       18. The vessel of claim 10 wherein said gate means comprises a bow gate having horizontal pivot means at all times above water level, said bow gate opening upwardly. 
     
     
       19. The vessel of claim 18 wherein said bow gate has a swash bulkhead spaced therefrom, said bulkhead being generally vertical and perforate to limit the degree of free water movement .[.with.]. .Iadd.within .Iaddend.the hull. 
     
     
       20. The vessel of claim 10 wherein said gate means comprises a stern gate having horizontal pivot means at all times above water level, said stern gate opening upwardly. 
     
     
       21. The vessel of claim 20 wherein said stern gate carries propelling means for said vessel. 
     
     
       22. The vessel of claim 10 wherein said gate means comprises both a stern gate and a bow gate, each having horizontal pivot means at all times above water level, said gate opening upwardly. 
     
     
       23. A vessel for transport of a floating buoyant cargo comprising a plurality of floating units such as barges, lighters, and pontoons, wherein said cargo is partially supported in the vessel by its own buoyancy and the cargo is also secured to the vessel in such a way as to enable transfer to the vessel of a significant part of the buoyancy of the cargo all during the voyage, including in combination: a hull having a bottom shell with rigid submarine cargo-supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, and a hollow interior including a cargo hold, said shell having openings communicating with said hold for free passage of water therethrough into and out from said hold at all times, so that said hold is always flooded,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy compartments to adjust the draft, trim and list of said vessel,   gate means in at least one end of said hull for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of said floating cargo and for closing during transportation thereof,   cargo-moving means on said hull for moving the floating units of said cargo into and out from said gate means and within said hold,   buoyancy transfer and securing means for releasably locking said cargo in place in said flooded hold against movement relative to said hull all during a voyage of said vessel, with a lower portion of said cargo engaging said submarine cargo-supporting structure, said buoyancy transfer and securing means including means for engaging an upper portion of said cargo,   whereby the water in the flooded hold enables part of the buoyancy of the cargo to support, at least in part, the cargo and that water cooperates with the buoyancy transfer and securing means to transfer part of the buoyancy of the cargo to said hull, to help to support the weight of said vessel, and whereby the buoyancy of lighter said units helps to support the heavier said units, due to such transfer.   
     
     
       24. The vessel of claim 23 wherein said cargo-moving means comprises a winch on each side of said vessel near the center thereof and two pulleys for each winch for alternate use, one adjacent each end of the vessel. 
     
     
       25. The vessel of claim 24 wherein said inner surfaces are provided with a series of diagonal fender pads. 
     
     
       26. The vessel of claim 23 wherein said cargo-moving means comprises a single winch on one side of said vessel near the center thereof, at least one pulley adjacent an end of the vessel, and a cable provided with a bifurcated bridle for attachment to a said container. 
     
     
       27. The vessel of claim 23 wherein the inner surfaces of said side walls slope downwardly and in toward the axis of the vessel. 
     
     
       28. The vessel of claim 23 wherein said gate means comprises two gates, one a stern gate and the other a bow gate. 
     
     
       29. The vessel of claim 28 wherein said stern gate is hinged upwardly and carries the vessel's propulsion machinery and propellers. 
     
     
       30. A vessel for transporting on a body of water various cargoes including a series of identical floating containers, such as barges and lighters, said containers having an upper end and a lower end, whether any particular container be full, empty, or partially loaded and whatever the average specific gravity of the load, including in combination: a hull having a cargo-carrying hollow interior, a perforate bottom with rigid submarine supporting portions enabling passage of water therethrough into said hollow interior at all times, so that said interior is always flooded, said hollow interior being enclosed by a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy chambers.   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy chambers to adjust the draft, trim and list of said vessel,   gate means at one end of said vessel for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading into the flooded interior of a string of said identical containers and for closing during transporation thereof,   container propelling means for moving a said string of containers into and out from said hollow interior, through said gate means, and   buoyancy transfer and securing means for releasably locking each said container in place at least partially under water in said flooded interior with its lower end engaging said submarine supporting portions, said securing means including means for engaging said upper end of each said container,   whereby the flooded interior enables the excess buoyancy of the lighter of said containers to provide support for the load of the heavier said containers and for said vessel.   
     
     
       31. A vessel for transporting on a body of water various cargoes including a series of identical floating containers, such as barges and lighters, said containers having an upper end with a vertical projection adjacent each corner and a lower end with a vertical recess adjacent to each corner, whether any particular container be full, empty, or partially loaded and whatever the average specific gravity of the load, including in combination: a hull having a cargo-carrying hollow interior, a perforate bottom with rigid submarine supporting portions enabling passage of water at all times therethrough into said hollow interior, so that said interior is always flooded, said hollow interior being enclosed by a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy chambers,   lower projections extending up vertically from said rigid submarine supporting portions for engagement in said recesses for aligning said containers,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy chambers to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means at one end of said vessel for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of a string of said identical containers into the flooded interior and for closing during transportation thereof,   container propelling means for moving a said string of containers into and out from said hollow interior, through said gate means, and   a series of locking spuds for releasably locking said containers in place at least partially under water in said flooded interior, with their lower ends engaging the lower projections from said submarine supporting portions, said spuds including means for engaging said upper end projections of each said container,   whereby the flooded interior enables the excess buoyancy of the lighter of said containers to provide support for the load of the heavier said containers and for the vessel itself.   
     
     
       32. A vessel for transporting on a body of water various cargoes including a series of identical floating containers, such as barges and lighters, said containers having an upper end with a vertical projection adjacent each corner and a lower end with a vertical recess adjacent to each corner, whether any particular container be full, empty, or partially loaded and whatever the average specific gravity of the load, including in combination: a hull having a perforate bottom with rigid submarine supporting portions enabling passage of water therethrough, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy chambers, and a hollow interior,   lower projections extending up vertically from said rigid submarine supporting portions for engagement in said recesses for aligning said containers,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy chambers to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means at one end of said vessel for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of a string of said identical containers and for closing during transportation thereof,   container propelling means for moving a said string of containers into and out from said hollow interior, through said gate means, and   a series of locking spuds for releasably locking said containers in place where their lower ends engage the lower projections from said submarine supporting portions, said spuds including means for engaging said upper end projections of each said container, said locking spuds comprising a stationary piston and a movable cylinder contained in said spud and secured to said spud by a central trunnion pin,   whereby the flooded interior enables the excess buoyancy of the lighter of said containers to provide support for the load of the heavier said containers.   
     
     
       33. A vessel for transporting on a body of water various cargoes including a series of identical floating containers, such as barges and lighters, said containers having an upper end with a vertical projection adjacent each corner and a lower end with a vertical recess adjacent to each corner, whether any particular container be full, empty, or partially loaded and whatever the average specific gravity of the load, including in combination: a hull having a perforate bottom with rigid submarine supporting portions enabling passage of water therethrough, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy chambers, and a hollow interior,   lower projections extending up vertically from said rigid submarine supporting portions for engagement in said recesses for aligning said containers,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy chambers to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means at one end of said vessel for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of a string of said identical containers and for closing during transportation thereof,   container propelling means for moving a said string of containers into and out from said hollow interior through said gate means, and   a series of locking spuds for releasably locking said containers in place where their lower ends engage the lower projections from said submarine supporting portions, said spuds including means for engaging said upper end projections of each said container, each of said spuds except those at the extreme ends of the ship engaging the projections of two said containers,   whereby the flooded interior enables the excess buoyancy of the lighter of said containers to provide support for the load of the heavier said containers.   
     
     
       34. A vessel for transporting on a body of water various cargoes includiing a series of identical floating containers, such as barges and lighters, said containers having an upper end with a vertical projection adjacent each corner and a lower end with a vertical recess adjacent to each corner, whether any particular container be full, empty, or partially loaded and whatever the average specific gravity of the load, including in combination: a hull having a perforate bottom with rigid submarine supporting portions enabling passage of water therethrough, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy chambers, and a hollow interior,   lower projections extending up vertically from said rigid submarine supporting portions for engagement in said recesses for aligning said containers, said rigid submarine supporting portions comprising a series of watertight box beams extending transversely of said hull and carrying said lower projections, said hull bottom being imperforate at said box beams,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy chambers to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means at one end of said vessel for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of a string of said identical containers and for closing during transportation thereof,   container propelling means for moving a said string of containers into and out from said hollow interior, through said gate means, and   a series of locking spuds for releasably locking said containers in place where their lower ends engage the lower projections from said submarine supporting portions, said spuds including means for engaging said upper end projections of each said container,   whereby the flooded interior enables the excess buoyancy of the ligher of said containers to provide support for the load of the heavier said containers. .Iadd. 35. A vessel for transport of a floating buoyant cargo such as barges, lighters, and pontoons, wherein said cargo can be partially supported in the vessel by its own buoyancy, including in combination:   a hull having a bottom shell with rigid submarine cargo-supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, a hollow enclosed interior including a cargo hold, and conduit means communicating with said hold for passage of sea water into and out from said hold,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy compartments to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means in said hull for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of said floating cargo and for closing during transportation thereof, and   securing means for releasably locking said cargo in place in said hold against movement relative to said hull all during a voyage of said vessel, with a lower portion of said cargo engaging said submarine cargo-supporting structure, said securing means including means for engaging an upper portion of said cargo,   whereby water in the flooded hold enables the buoyancy of the cargo to support the cargo, at least in part. .Iaddend..Iadd. 36. The vessel of claim 35 having means for operating all said securing means simultaneously. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 37. The vessel of claim 35 wherein said securing means comprises a series of hydraulically actuated locking spuds mounted to an upper part of said vessel which is rigidly connected to said hull for downward movement toward said cargo-supporting structure. .Iaddend..Iadd. 38. The vessel of claim 37 wherein each of said locking spuds comprises a stationary piston and a movable cylinder. .Iaddend..Iadd. 39. The vessel of claim 38 having a single hydraulic fluid system for simultaneous operation of all spuds. .Iaddend..Iadd. 40. The vessel of claim 38 having a hydraulic fluid system for separate actuation of each of said spuds. .Iaddend..Iadd. 41. The vessel of claim 35 wherein said gate means comprises a bow gate having horizontal pivot means above waterline and opening upward. .Iaddend..Iadd. 42. The vessel of claim 35 wherein said gate means comprises a stern gate having horizontal pivot means above waterline and opening upward. .Iaddend..Iadd. 43. The vessel of claim 42 wherein said stern gate carries propelling means for said vessel. .Iaddend..Iadd. 44. The vessel of claim 35 wherein said gate means comprises both a bow gate and a stern gate, each having horizontal pivot means above waterline and opening upward. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 45. A vessel for transport of a floating buoyant cargo comprising a plurality of floating units such as barges, lighters, and pontoons, wherein said cargo can be partially supported in the vessel by its own buoyancy and the cargo is also secured to the vessel in such a way as to enable transfer to the vessel of a significant part of the buoyancy of the cargo, including in combination:   a hull having a bottom shell with rigid submarine cargo-supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, a hollow interior including a cargo hold, conduit means communicating with said hold for passage of sea water into and out from said hold,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy compartments to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means in at least one end of said hull for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of said floating cargo and for closing during transportation thereof,   cargo-moving means on said hull for moving the floating units of said cargo into and out from said gate means and within said hold,   buoyancy transfer and securing means for releasably locking said cargo in place in said hold against movement relative to said hull all during a voyage of said vessel, with a lower portion of said cargo engaging said submarine cargo-supporting structure, said buoyancy transfer and securing means including means for engaging an upper portion of said cargo,   whereby water in the flooded hold enables part of the buoyancy of the cargo to support, at least in part, the cargo and that water cooperates with the buoyancy transfer and securing means to transfer part of the buoyancy of the cargo to said hull, to help to support the weight of said vessel, and whereby the buoyancy of lighter said units helps to support the heavier said units, due to such transfer. .Iaddend..Iadd. 46. The vessel of claim 45 wherein said cargo-moving means comprises a winch on each side of said vessel near the center thereof and two pulleys for each winch for alternate use, one adjacent each end of the vessel. .Iaddend..Iadd. 47. The vessel of claim 45 wherein said cargo-moving means comprises a single winch on one side of said vessel near the center thereof, at least one pulley adjacent an end of the vessel, and a cable provided with a bifurcated bridle for attachment to a said container. .Iaddend..Iadd. 48. The vessel of claim 45 wherein the inner surfaces of said side walls slope downwardly and in toward the axis of the vessel. .Iaddend..Iadd. 49. The vessel of claim 45 wherein said gate means comprises two gates, one a stern gate and the other a bow gate. .Iaddend..Iadd. 50. The vessel of claim 45 wherein said stern gate is hinged upwardly and carries the vessel's propulsion machinery and propellers. .Iaddend.  .Iadd. 51. A vessel for transport of a floating buoyant cargo such as barges, lighters, and pontoons, wherein said cargo can be partially supported in the vessel by its own buoyancy and the cargo is also secured to the vessel in such a way as to enable transfer to the vessel of a significant part of the buoyancy of the cargo, including in combination:   a hull having a bottom shell with rigid submarine cargo-supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, a hollow interior including a cargo hold, and conduit means communicating with said hold for passage of sea water into and out from said hold,   means for introducing and expelling water from said buoyancy compartments to adjust the draft, trim, and list of said vessel,   gate means in said hull for opening to enable flotation loading and unloading of said floating cargo and for closing during transportation thereof, and   buoyancy transfer and securing means for releasably locking said cargo in place in said hold against movement relative to said hull all during a voyage of said vessel, with a lower portion of said cargo engaging said submarine cargo-supporting structure, said buoyancy transfer and securing means including means for engaging an upper portion of said cargo,   whereby water in the flooded hold enables the buoyancy of the cargo to support, at least in part, the cargo and that water cooperates with the buoyancy transfer and securing means to transfer part of the buoyancy of the cargo to said hull, to help to support the weight of said vessel. .Iaddend.