GB557542A - An improved means for defouling the sides and bottoms of ships' hulls - Google Patents

Abstract

557,542. Defouling ships' hulls. CHIPCHASE, R. S. March 16, 1943, No. 13318. Divided out of 557,514. [Class 113 (i)] Portable apparatus for defouling a ship's hull comprises a buoyant scrubber each end of which is connected to a separate winch or capstan on the ship by means of a hauling cable guided by fairleads or pulleys, and means for fleeting the scrubber from one longitudinal or lateral path of travel to another, whereby the hull may be cleaned in sections. The scrubbers 54 comprise a body 20, Fig. 6, filled with slab cork and carrying wire scrubbers 21, 21a, eye bolts 22, 23 for the cables D1, D2, and angular iron end guides 24, Fig. 14, reinforced with wood or like buffers to ride over bilge heels 30. The fairleads comprise a guide barrel 25, Fig. 5, and shackles 28 for the wires A3. In the form shown in Fig. 1, two fairleads B are positioned by wires A3 under the control of winches E, whilst the scrubber 54 is connected by hauling cables D1, D2 to winches F, E1. In the form shown in Fig. 12, a pair of scrubbers 54S, 54P are attached to a hauling cable C which passes around pulleys D suspended from a ridge wire A temporarily supported along the sides of the ship. Lengths of ridge wire are connected by rings H, Fig. 13, and the pulleys D are suspended by shackles D1 and links D2. Distance permits B, B1 are connected by loops K to the rings H, and by shackles P to the link D2. One or more chafing spars 31, Fig. 14, may be positioned against a damaged bilge heel 30 by wires 33, 34 to facilitate the passage of the scrubbers.