Sunken vessel locator buoy

An improved buoy which provides for internal storage of the line securing the buoy to the vessel, internal placement of a radio transmitter with power source and electrical switch, and a receptacle for attachment to the superstructure of a vessel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to new and improved buoys for indicating the 
position of a sunken vessel and more particularly to said buoys as are 
normally resident in a receptacle which is attached to the superstructure 
or upper decks of a vessel, which is designed to be released upon 
submersion of the vessel, and which is useful in locating the vessel after 
it has sunk. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
It is well known in the art of buoys to place a buoy in a receptacle on the 
upper deck of a vessel, attached to the vessel by a line, so that it will 
float free of the vessel and, subsequently floating on the surface of the 
water, mark the location of the vessel after it has sunk. 
It is additionally known in the art of buoys to place both a buoy and the 
line connecting the buoy to the vessel in a housing or receptacle on an 
upper deck of the vessel to float free of the vessel, in case of the 
vessel's sinking. 
It is further known in the art of buoys to provide a buoy which is and/or 
supports a visual indicator on the surface of the water above a sunken 
vessel of the vessel's position. 
It is also well known to provide a drum or winding mechanism to contain the 
line and/or control the feed of the line connecting the buoy to the 
vessel. 
The following patents indicate the state of the art in buoys designed to 
indicate the position of a sunken vessel. 
A. J. Hebert, U.S. Pat. No. 1,070,253 discloses a buoy with a support which 
contains the buoy's connecting line to the vessel, mounts on a topside 
deck of the vessel, and provides spring retaining arms to retain the buoy 
in place within the support. 
E. H. W. Crossley, U.S. Pat. No. 1,250,807 discloses a buoy in combination 
with a spring loaded means for mounting said buoy which acts to project 
the buoy clear of the vessel in the event of submersion or assumption of a 
dangerous angle. 
J. Hlvaty, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 1,352,000 discloses a buoy in combination 
with a drum upon which the line connecting the buoy to the vessel is wound 
and a casing having a plurality of compartments, one of which compartments 
normally contains the buoy and provides a pair of spring-impelled lever 
arms adapted to hold the buoy in position until such time as the rising 
water level in another of the compartments causes a float therein to rise 
and trip a lever disengaging the spring-impelled lever arms holding the 
buoy whereby the buoy is allowed to float free. 
J. J. Higgins, U.S. Pat. No. 1,517,158 discloses a can buoy with 
receptacle, which buoy supports a visual indicating signal which is held 
in an upright position irrespective of the wave action on the buoy. The 
receptacle provides storage for the line and/or chain connecting the buoy 
to the vessel, is designed to be attached to the vessel's upper deck, and 
allows the buoy to float free when the vessel sinks. 
H. Tomic, U.S. Pat. No. 1,566,934 discloses a buoy and buoy anchorage 
housing with means for locking the buoy on the housing. The housing 
provides an annular seat for the spherical buoy and the buoy has a 
cylinder which extends up into the buoy which cylinder is open at the 
bottom end. Additional means are provided to, moveably within the 
cylinder, release the locking means when the water rises into the cylinder 
of the buoy. 
S. V. Clyde, U.S. Pat. No. 1,615,108 discloses a buoy, a drum to hold the 
line connecting the buoy to the vessel, and a support for the buoy which, 
when holding the buoy, is positioned directly above the drum, but when the 
buoy floats free swings clear of the drum to avoid entangling the line. 
L. H. Roeth, U.S. Pat. No. 1,839,001 discloses a buoy which sits atop a 
funnel pipe which extends to the bottom of the vessel where a drum sits 
with line coiled, which line connects the buoy through the funnel pipe to 
the bottom of the vessel. The drum provides means for controlling the pay 
out of the line such that the drum rotates and line is paid out only 
during those times when the buoy is submerged. 
B. W. Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,368 discloses a buoy which is cored and 
normally rests on a spindle which is part of a buoy holder having 
resilient and flexible fingers from which the buoy floats free upon 
submersion in water. The line connecting the buoy to the vessel is wound 
upon either a portion of the spindle beneath the buoy or a separate drum. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The primary object of the invention is to provide a low-cost, reliable buoy 
with radio beacon that will serve to locate sunken vessels. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a buoy with storage space 
internal to the buoy for the line connecting the buoy to the vessel. 
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a buoy with a line 
guide integral to the buoy to avoid line fouling. 
It is stil another object of the invention to provide a buoy having 
compartments suitable for the placement of a radio transmitter, a battery 
or power source, and a radio transmitter antenna. 
It is further an object of the invention to provide a receptacle suitable 
for storage of the buoy when not in use and suitable, further, for 
reliable buoy flotation should the vessel to which the buoy is attached 
become submerged. 
It is finally an object of the invention to provide a buoy which may be 
opened for servicing of the battery, radio transmitter, or line and which 
may be easily restored to a watertight condition. 
These and other objects are accomplished as described in the accompanying 
drawings and the following description of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring in detail to the drawings, the invention 10 is shown in FIG. 1 as 
attached to the superstructure 14 of the vessel 20. The invention 10 is 
shown only in an external view in FIG. 1 where the invention 10 may be 
seen to comprise a buoy 15 inside a receptacle 11, which receptacle 11 
provides a mounting bracket 16 for attachment of the invention 10 to the 
superstructure 14 with fastener means 17. Additionally, the receptacle 11 
provides an orifice 13 through which pass a line 12 and a pull-key chord 
19. The line 12 attached to the buoy 15 on one end and attaches to the 
superstructure 14 on the other end by means of the fastener means 18. The 
pull-key chord 19 attaches to a pull-key shaft 41 within the buoy 15 on 
one end and attaches to the superstructure 14 on the other end by means of 
the fastener means 18 as shown in FIG. 1. 
Referring to FIG. 2, the buoy 15 can be seen in its usual at rest position 
within the receptacle 11. The buoy 15 is seen to comprise, in its major 
separate physical components, an upper shell 35, a lower shell 34, and a 
center plate 26. The upper half 25 of the buoy 15 is, in the preferred 
embodiment, a hollow, hemispherical upper shell 35 containing or providing 
various components hereinafter described. The lower half 24 of the buoy 15 
is, in the preferred embodiment, a hollow, hemispherical lower shell 34 
containing or providing various components hereinafter described. 
The lower shell 34 of the buoy 15 is shown in FIG. 4 of in the drawings as 
hemispherical with a cylindrical tube 21 extending through its surface. 
Within the lower shell 34, and in the lower regions thereof, is placed a 
ballast 23 which is attached to the lower shell 34 by fastener means 39 
and which is intended to assist in maintaining a correct top-bottom 
orientation of the buoy when it is floating free of the receptacle 11. 
Also within the lower shell 34 is coiled the line 12 which connects the 
buoy 15 to the superstructure 14 of the vessel 20. The line 12 is coiled 
around the cylindrical tube 21 within the lower shell 34. The cylindrical 
tube 21 serves both as a guide to pay out the line 12 and as a means to 
keep water from rushing into the buoy 15 when it is afloat. Note that the 
draft of the buoy 15 may not be greater than the length of the cylindrical 
tube 21 and that the greatest draft is possible if the cylindrical tube 21 
is oriented such that its long axis is perpendicular to the surface of the 
water when the buoy 15 is afloat. The line 12 may be connected by the 
fastener means 22 to the cylindrical tube 21 as shown in FIG. 2 or to any 
portion of the lower shell 34 as shown in FIG. 4. 
The upper shell 35 of the buoy 15 is depicted in the drawings as 
hemispherical with an access port through its surface. The access port is 
shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b as being covered by the access port 
cover 36. Said access port cover 36 provides a handle 38 and is in sealed 
connection 37 with the upper shell 35. The sealed connection 37 may be 
understood to be an O ring washer or seal if the access port cover 36 is 
threadably engaged with the upper shell 35. Additionally, the upper shell 
35 has attached to its interior surface a radio antenna 32. Accordingly, 
it is expected that the upper shell 35 will be contructed of materials 
that are transparent to radio frequency transmissions. The means by which 
the radio antenna 32 is attached to the upper shell 35 are varied and may 
range from glue, to fasteners, to actual imbedding of the radio antenna 32 
in the material of the upper shell 35. 
FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of the radio transmitter 30, the power source 
33, and the pull-key mechanism 51 on the center plate 26. The radio 
transmitter 30 and the pull-key mechanism 51 are contained within a 
housing 40 which also serves as a support for the power source 33. The 
housing 40 is attached to the center plate 26 and together with the center 
plate 26 completely envelopes the radio transmitter 30 and the pull-key 
mechanism 51, save only the pull-key shaft 41 which extends through the 
center plate 26. The housing 40 additionally is formed in such fashion as 
to provide lateral restraints on the movement of the power source 33 while 
providing physical support for the weight of the power source 33 and 
allowing easy vertical access to the power source 33 from above through 
the access port cover 36. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5b, the center plate 
26 also provides an orifice 29 which allows the pull-key shaft 41 to 
extend through the center plate 26 and provides sealed fastener means 27 
whereby the upper shell 35 is sealably fastened to the center plate 26 and 
to the lower shell 34, and the lower shell 34 is sealably fastened to the 
center plate 26 and to the upper shell 35. 
Detail of the pull-key mechanism 51 is shown in FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b. Said 
detail shows that the pull-key mechanism 51 is enclosed within a shaft 
housing 49 which has attached thereto a plunger housing 46. Together the 
shaft housing 49 and the plunger housing 46 form a watertight enclosure 
around the pull-key mechanism 51 which is in sealed connection 52 with the 
center plate 26 such that the pull-key shaft 41 protrudes through the 
orifice 29 in the center plate 26. The pull-key mechanism 51 is comprised 
of a shaft housing 49, a plunger housing 46, a spring 45, a plunger 42 
having an end cap 44 which is conductive to electron flow, an annular 
seating plate 43 against which the end cap 44 rests when the spring 45 is 
allowed to extend from its normally compressed state within the plunger 
housing 46, a plunger bore 48 through which the plunger 42 slideably moves 
into the shaft housing 49 when the pull-key shaft 41 is withdrawn from the 
pull-key mechanism 51. O ring seals 47 are provided within the plunger 
bore 48 to slideably engage the plunger 42 and provide a watertight seal. 
As shown in FIG. 5a, the annular seating plate 43 of the pull-key mechanism 
51, which annular seating plate 43 is constructed of electron flow 
insulator material, provides, on its surface facing away from the plunger 
bore 48 to which it is attached, two electrical contacts 50 which comprise 
an open circuit until such time as the spring 45 is extended and pushes 
the plunger 42 into the plunger bore 48 sufficiently to bring the end cap 
44 into contact with the annular seating plate 43 at which time a closed 
circuit is formed. The electrical contacts 50 are electrically connected 
such that one of the electrical contacts 50 is electrically connected to 
the positive output of the power source 33 and the other of the electrical 
contacts 50 is electrically connected to the positive power input of the 
radio transmitter 30. 
The pull-key mechanism 51 is thus able to turn on the radio transmitter 30 
when the pull-key shaft 41 is withdrawn allowing the plunger 42 to extend 
into the shaft housing 49. As shown in FIG. 2, the radio transmitter 30 
output has an electrical connection 31 to the radio antenna 32 whereby 
when the radio transmitter 30 is activated a radio frequency signal is 
transmitted from the radio antenna 32. 
In FIG. 6 the connection of the upper shell 35 to the center plate 26 and 
to the lower shell 34 is shown in detail. While the connection made by the 
sealed fastener means 27 may comprise any watertight fitting, the 
preferred embodiment makes the connection as shown in FIG. 6 by providing 
a flange 60 at the circumference of the upper shell 35 and a flange 61 at 
the circumference of the lower shell. Each of said flanges 60 and 61 is 
drilled and tapped with threads to receive a screw 66 which, when 
tightened, pulls the upper shell 35 and the lower shell 34 together. The 
flange 60 provides a groove 62 suitable to receive the O ring seal 63 
between the upper shell 35 and the center plate 26. The flange 61 provides 
a groove 65 suitable to receive the O ring seal 64 between the lower shell 
34 and the center plate 26. When the screw 66 is tightened, the upper 
shell 35 and the lower shell 34 are pulled together and squeezeably engage 
the center plate 26 compressing said O ring seals 63 and 64 forming a 
watertight seal between the upper shell 35 and the center plate 26 and 
between the lower shell 34 and the center plate 26. 
In operation, the buoy 15 floats free of the receptacle 11 when the vessel 
20 sinks and the pull-key chord 19 pulls the pull-key shaft 41 free of the 
pull-key mechanism 51 which then switches on electricity from the power 
source 33 to the radio transmitter 30. As the buoy 15 floats free of the 
vessel 20, the line 12 is paid out through the cylindrical tube 21 thus 
avoiding entanglements of the line 12 and allowing the buoy 15 to float on 
the surface of the water above the vessel 20 providing a visual indicator 
of the location of the vessel 20 at the same time that the radio 
transmitter 30 is transmitting a radio signal for location of the vessel 
20 by radio direction finding techniques.