Hatch cover arrangements

A hatch cover arrangement which comprises a cover made up of cover sections directly hinged together in series and adapted to be pivoted from an active horizontal position above a hatch coaming defining a hatch opening to an inactive, upwardly swung, vertical position at least partially outside said opening, a cover lifting device arranged in opposite relation on each exposed longitudinal side of said cover and comprising two lifting arms in combination with not more than two lifting cylinders, said lifting arms each being hingedly connected at one end to a respective one of two adjacent cover sections and at the opposite end to a hinge arm construction common to said arms which construction is separately hinged to said adjacent cover sections and a wheel mounted for the support of said hinge arm construction between the latter and said longitudinal side of said cover at the junction between said adjacent cover sections and designed for rotation along a guide extending longitudinally of said coaming, and means for actuating said not more than two lifting cylinders of said cover lifting device to cause said lifting arms to pivot the cover sections reversibly between said inactive and active positions while rotating said wheel along said guide towards and away from one end of said coaming, the common hinge construction and associated lifting arms of each cover lifting device being arranged laterally outside said guide and the locations at which said lifting arms are hingedly connected to said construction being below the level of said guide.