Patent GB-169273-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in a method of and apparatus for raising submerged vessels
IPC: B63C7/06
Filed: 1920-06-22
Abstract: 169,273. Miller, J. A. June 22, 1920. Sunken ships, raising.- A method of raising sunken ships consists of first attaching lines to the ship by means of projectiles fired from a gun through shackles on the lines, and then alternately submerging and refloating in groups pontoons slidably connected to the lines. The gun consists of a barrel 33, Fig. 3, having ports 34 near the muzzle opening into a vacuum chamber 36 forming a casing to support the gun and provided with preferably three electromagnets 47. Secured to the lower end of each lifting-cable 22 is a shackle 24 provided with a boss 26 having a central hole of the same diameter as the bore of the gun, but with a reduced part 28, and covered by a plate 29. The boss 26 fits into an enlarged portion 31 of the bore of the gun, and is retained by the vacuum in the gun and casing. The projectile 43 has a reduced part 44 to fit the reduced bore in the shackle 24, and a compressible sleeve 46 tc reduce shock when it enters the shackle. In order to attach shackles at regular intervals to a sunken ship 58, Fig. 2, a pair of electromagnets 59 are lowered from the tender 62 by cables 61 held apart by a spacer-bar 63 sliding thereon, and caused to adhere to the ship. The gun casing 37, with the shackle 24 in position, is attached to a second spacer-bar 64 sliding on the cables 61 and lowered, the cables being then tightened to press the gun into close contact with the ship. Correct alignment of the gun is indicated by three electrical contact devices disposed on the casing 37 adjacent to the electromagnets 47. The gun being fired, the projectile 43 passes partly through the shackle 24 into the side of the ship, the casing being so arranged that the projectile enters at a slight upward inclination. The recoil of the gun detaches it from the shackle 24, and while the former is hoisted to be recharged, one of the magnets 59 is de-energized and swung around by means of the cable 61 and spacer-bar 63 to the opposite side of and at an equal distance from the adhering magnet and again energized and reattached. The gun is then lowered, and another shackle secured. When a sufficient number of shackles have been fixed, the attached lines 22 are passed through sleeves 21, Fig. 5, in a number of pontoons 1. At the upper ends of the sleeves are friction grips 23, shown in detail in Fig. 9. A number of pairs of oppositely-positioned pontoons are then submerged by opening the seacock 2 by means of the hand-wheel 3, this operation being controlled by operators on the slats 10, which connect the masts 4 and 12. The upper ends of the lines 22 are meanwhile secured on board the tender 62, so that the pontoons slide down the lines. The cocks 2 are then closed, and the water discharged by the pump 6 driven by the motor 9. As the pontoons rise, the lines are gripped by the clamps 23, and the ship is lifted till the pontoons reach the surface. Another group of pontoons is now submerged while the ship is sustained by the first set, and the ship raised still farther by re-floating the second set. This process is repeated with the two groups alternately till the ship is raised to the surface.