Patent ID: 6082710
Filing Date: 2000-07-04
Classification: B63B,B65H

Abstract:
A device for retrieving an ocean bottom seismic cable onto a vessel which has a bow and a stern, comprisinga boom arranged to be pivotally mounted at a rear end thereof to the vessel near the bow of the vessel, so that the boom, forwardly of said rear end, is pivotally movable up and down about a generally horizontal axis extending transversely of the boom;a first wheel mounted on said boom forwardly of said rear end, for rotation about a substantially horizontal second axis which extends transversely of the boom;a second wheel arranged to be mounted on said vessel for rotation about a substantially horizontal third axis; said first and second wheels being arranged such that a seismic cable being pulled directly up from the bottom of a body of water on which said vessel is afloat, passes first over said first wheel and second under said second wheel, on its way onto the vessel;a damper having one end arranged to be mounted to the vessel and having a second end mounted to the boom at a location which is located forwardly of said horizontal axis; said damper being arranged to cause or allow said boom to pivot up and down about said horizontal axis in response to decreases and increases in tension, from a given tension, on said cable between said first wheel and the bottom of the body of water.