Patent ID: 7270069

Claim:
A weapon stowage and handling system for a torpedo, said torpedo having a forward end, an aft end, a longitudinal axis and a dispenser for deploying an elongated, flexible article mounted on the aft end of said torpedo, said weapon stowage and handling system having at least five axially spaced dollies each of which has a plurality of torpedo lashings designed to lash the torpedo, wherein at least one of the torpedo lashings is lashed to the dispenser said dispenser further comprising: an open-ended cylindrical receptacle for storing the elongated, flexible article in a multiple-turn, multiple-layer configuration about the deployment axis in a storage volume within said open-ended cylindrical receptacle wherein said open-ended cylindrical receptacle has an outer surface with lift handles and locking pad mechanisms; and an encasement, made of a hardened elastomeric material that provides mechanical reinforcement, around the periphery of the outer surface of the open-ended cylindrical receptacle wherein the encasement serves to strengthen the structural integrity of the open-ended cylindrical receptacle against the at least one of the torpedo lashings and wherein the combined diameter of the open-ended cylindrical receptacle and encasement is approximately the same as the diameter of the torpedo.