# US 2010/0300346 A1 · Watercraft Immobilizing System > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2010/0300346 A1 - Document ID: US20100300346A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/473,659 - Filed: 2009-05-28 - Published: 2010-12-02 - Earliest claimed: 2009-05-28 - Assignees: Richard J. A. Gayton - Inventors: Richard J.A. Gayton - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100300346A1 ## CPC - B63G 13/00: Other offensive or defensive arrangements on vessels; Vessels characterised thereby - B63B 21/66: Equipment specially adapted for towing underwater objects or vessels, e.g. fairings for tow-cables ({paravanes for dragging fishing nets A01K73/02; } salvaging underwater vessels or objects B63C7/00; towed underwater vessels B63G8/42) - B63G: OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS (means of attack or defence in general, e.g. turrets F41H) - B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06) ## Abstract A sub-surface watercraft immobilizing system and method which may be deployed from any vessel to provide primary passive defense against one or more attacking watercraft(s), fitted with marine engine(s). The system is designed to provide practical all round coverage and consists of a sub-surface towed array/entanglement system of wires and/or spectra/nylon lines weighted for neutral buoyancy, deployed from removable/replaceable cartridges that may be disposable or refurbished. The towed array/entanglement system uses outriggers, weighted submersible rollers and spreaders. A system of secondary and possibly tertiary tentacles is deployed from the primary lines just below the water surface to foul and immobilize propellers and engine cooling water intakes. This is a non-lethal system designed to render one or more detected, or undetected, attacking watercraft inoperative or ineffective. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A watercraft immobilizing system comprising a sub-surface towed array of entanglement lines and deployment systems which may be deployed and recovered from any vessel during normal operating speeds, to entangle propellers and water intakes of one or more attacking watercraft and to provide a primary, passive, non-lethal sub-surface defensive shield to effectively prohibit hijackers from boarding the protected vessel whilst underway. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 in which the sub-surface entanglement system comprises multiple towed lines of not more than 4 inches apart, consisting of wire and/or nylon/spectra with or without biodegradability which are deployed from banks of storage rollers, and spread out, by the forward movement of the vessel, up to 3000 feet astern of and at least to a width of 20 feet along the sides of the protected vessel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 in which the sub-surface entanglement system lines of each cartridge are held in pattern by an end spreader that may be finned for underwater stability and/or attached to adjacent spreaders. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 in which the sub-surface entanglement system lines are fitted with secondary and possibly tertiary shorter lines of similar and/or smaller diameter, with varying lengths and staggered placement of intervals of not more than five feet along the main lines of the towed array. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 in which the sub-surface entanglement system lines may be weighted for neutral buoyancy. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 in which the main bank of storage rollers are mounted off the vessels transom. Two transom outriggers, one at each extremity, are designed to deploy a second and third bank of storage rollers, and two additional outriggers, situated at the vessel's forward shoulders (port and starboard sides) are designed to deploy a fourth and fifth bank of storage rollers for practical all round protection. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 in which each bank of storage rollers is made up of multiple removable/replaceable cartridges that may be discarded or reconditioned, mounted on removable keyed spindles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 in which each bank of storage rollers may be deployed remotely by electric motor and locked when deployed or stored. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 in which each bank of storage rollers features two secondary winches at the extremities that store the wire that suspends and deploys the weighted submersible dual roller system for each bank. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6 in which the outriggers are deployed in the perpendicular position, but can be swiveled parallel to the vessel and locked in either the deployed or storage positions. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 in which the submersible weighted dual rollers hold the towed array of entanglement lines below the sea surface adjacent to the deployment bank. Secondary means of securing submersible dual rollers below the deployment banks are via wires positioned at the roller extremities and led forward to prevent the dual roller assembly from riding aft and above the sea surface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system in claim 9 in which the submersible weighted dual rollers of the aft main transom bank and two quarter banks may be fixed to each other to form one unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12 in which the outboard extremities of the aft submerged dual roller system are fitted with deep fins to prevent the towed side arrays from interfering with the protected vessel's own propeller.