Minesweeper
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsEdward A. Wilbanks, Vordaman H. Van Bibber
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A simulated marine vehicle is disclosed as being a sweeper of acoustic, psure, and magnetic energy responsive mines. It includes an exceedingly lightweight, substantially unsinkable hull composed of a plurality of air foam plastic compartments tandemly connected by means of unique fasteners, with a resilient fluid tight sealant therebetween. A suitable ballast material is disposed in the compartments of said hull, an insulated electromagnetic energy generating wire is mounted around said hull, and a motor-generator is mounted on said hull for timely effecting the electrical excitation of said wire.
Claims10
A marine minesweeper, comprising in combination:
- a hull, having a plurality of unitary compartmental sections disposed along the longitudinal axis thereof, with adjacent ones thereof configured for complementary fits therebetween, adapted for being floated along a watercourse suspected of being mined with marine mines, the plurality of unitary compartmental sections of said hull including a bow section, a stern section, and at least one intermediate section connected between said bow and stern sections, with said at least one intermediate section having a foam plastic hull-configured intermediate portion containing cells of air bubbles and having a plurality of compartments separated by bulkheads, a first plate securely connected to the forward end of said foam plastic hull-configured intermediate portion parallel to the transverse axis thereof, and a second plate securely connected to the rearward end of said foam plastic hull-configured intermediate portion parallel to the transverse axis thereof;
- means connected between adjacent ones of said plurality of unitary compartmental hull sections for the fastening thereof together in a secure abutting manner;
- means disposed between and substantially around the periphery of said adjacently fastened hull sections for effecting a watertight seal thereat;
- and
- ballast means of predetermined mass disposed in each of the plurality of unitary compartmental hull sections for effecting a predetermined draft of said hull within the aforesaid watercourse, as it is floated therealong.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.