Patent ID: 8678733

Claim:
A structure for transporting and installing or retrieving underwater equipment comprising: a floating hull equipped with legs that can be moved vertically relative to the floating hull using movement mechanisms, a platform carried by shuttles, each shuttle being associated with a respective one of said legs, said platform being configured to be moved vertically relative to the hull by said legs, each shuttle being provided with means for locking on the respective one of said legs, each shuttle being configured to be locked on the respective one of said legs and said hull being configured to remain buoyant while said platform is moved relative to said hull, means of temporarily anchoring the equipment to the underside of the platform, and means of moving said equipment in the water between a first position pressed against the anchoring means and a second position away from the anchoring means; wherein the floating hull is U-shaped, the U-shaped floating hull has two opposite and parallel lateral arms, each carrying at least one leg and connected to each other by a central arm, and the two lateral arms are formed by two floats and the central arm is formed by a cross-beam carried by said lateral arms, said lateral arms being slidingly movable on said cross-beam depending on the length of the platform carried by the shuttles.