Barge-carrying waterborne vessel and transportation method

A barge-carrying waterborne vessel including in combination:

• a hull with rigid supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a cargo-carrying deck, an upwardly swingable bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, said hull having a hollow interior below said deck defining at least one hold extending most of the length of said vessel and having a bottom,
• pumping means for changing the amount of water in each said buoyancy compartment, for placing seawater into said hold and for removing the water from said hold,
• gating means for swinging upwardly to open said bow, for closing it in a normal voyaging position and for opening it for flotation loading of said hold, said hold then being partially flooded, with a plurality of buoyant cargo carriers such as barges, lighters and pontoons placed by the flotation loading into predetermined locations within said hold,
• pivoted collision bulkhead means aft of said bow for closing said hold off in a watertight manner and for swinging upwardly to open said hold,
• means for swinging said collision bulkhead means upwardly so as to enable said flotation loading and unloading of said vessel, and
• positioning means for holding each said carrier down against the bottom of said hold to prevent movement thereof and to enable exchange of buoyancy between said carrier and said vessel when water is in said hold.

A barge-carrying waterborne vessel including in combination:

• a hull with rigid supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a deck, a bow, a stern, and side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, said hull having a hollow interior defining at least one hold extending most of the length of said vessel and having a bottom,
• a series of openings through said side walls into said hold for enabling passage of water from the sea into said hold,
• a valve at each opening for closing it off when desired,
• valve control means on said deck connected to said valve for opening and closing each said valve,
• pumping means for pumping water from said hold to dry out said hold,
• gating means for opening said bow to enable flotation loading of said hold, when said hold is partially flooded, with a plurality of buoyant cargo carriers such as barges, lighters and pontoons placed by flotation loading through said bow into predetermined locations with said hold,
• collision bulkhead means aft of said bow, for closing said hold off in a watertight manner,
• means for moving said collision bulkhead means so as to enable said flotation loading and unloading of said vessel, and
• carrier retention means for holding each said carrier down against the bottom of said hold to prevent movement thereof and to enable exchange of buoyancy between said carrier and said vessel when water is in said hold.

An oceangoing merchant vessel for carrying buoyant cargo containers in a hold thereof, said vessel comprising the combination of:

• a hull shell having reinforcing and supporting structure, a bow and a stern, said hull shell having a series of buoyancy compartments in side wall structure thereof and a hollow interior defining at least one hold extending from the bow to the stern with a bottom for carrying said buoyant cargo containers thereon,
• ballast varying means for varying the ballasting in said buoyancy compartments and thereby the waterline of said vessel between a loading position and a cruising position,
• hold flooding means for flooding said hold with seawater to float said containers, when said vessel is ballasted to its said loading position,
• hold dewatering means for purging said hold of floodwaters,
• an openable closure in the stern for opening said hold from the hold bottom to a ceiling thereof to enable thereby the flotation movement in tandem of a plurality of said buoyant cargo containers into and out of said hold, said openable closure opening by swinging upwardly and including sealing means for sealing said hold against intrusion of seawater when said closure closes said hold and powering means for moving said closure between a closed and an open position, and
• a plurality of spaced apart hold-down means in said hold for engaging each buoyant cargo container floating in said hold and for pulling said container to its resting position on the bottom of said hold, to enable exchange of buoyancy between said container and said vessel when water is in said hold.

An oceangoing merchant vessel for carrying buoyant cargo containers in a hold thereof, said vessel comprising the combination of:

• a hull shell having reinforcing and supporting structure, a bow and a stern, said hull shell having a series of buoyancy compartments in side wall structure thereof and a hollow interior defining two immediately adjacent holds, each extending from the bow to the stern with a bottom for carrying said buoyant cargo containers thereon,
• a longitudinal bulkhead in said hollow interior separating one hold from the other and restraining floodwaters in one hold from passing into said other hold during cruising operations of said vessel,
• ballast varying means for varying the ballasting in said buoyancy compartments and thereby the waterline of said vessel between a loading position and a cruising position,
• hold flooding means for flooding said holds with seawater to float said containers, when said vessel is ballasted to its said loading position,
• hold dewatering means for purging said holds of floodwaters,
• two separately openable upwardly swinging closures in at least one of the bow and stern for opening each said hold from the hold bottom to a ceiling thereof to enable thereby the flotation movement in tandem of a plurality of said buoyant cargo containers into and out of said hold, said openable closure including sealing means for sealing said hold against intrusion of seawater when said closure closes said hold and powering means for moving said closure between a closed and an open position, and
• a plurality of spaced apart hold-down means in each said hold for engaging each buoyant cargo container floating in said hold and for pulling said container to its resting position on the bottom of said hold.

An oceangoing merchant vessel for carrying buoyant cargo containers in a hold thereof, said vessel comprising the combination of:

• a hull shell having reinforcing and supporting structure, a bow and a stern, said hull shell having a series of buoyancy compartments in side wall structure thereof and a hollow interior defining at least three adjacent longitudinal holds separated by plural longitudinal bulkheads, extending from the bow to the stern with a bottom for carrying said buoyant cargo containers thereon,
• ballast varying means for varying the ballasting in said buoyancy compartments and thereby the waterline of said vessel between a loading position and a cruising position,
• hold flooding means for flooding said holds with seawater to float said containers, when said vessel is ballasted to its said loading position,
• hold dewatering means for purging said holds of floodwaters,
• an openable closure at one end of said vessel for a first of said holds so that said first hold is openable to the sea by said openable closure from the hold bottom to a ceiling thereof to enable thereby the flotation movement in tandem of a plurality of said buoyant cargo containers into and out of said first hold, said openable closure including sealing means for sealing said hold against intrusion of seawater when said closure closes said hold and powering means for moving said closure between a closed and an open position.
• said longitudinal bulkheads defining passageways enabling flotation passage therethrough of said carriers from said first hold into second and third holds, and
• a plurality of spaced apart hold-down means in said hold for engaging each buoyant cargo container floating in said hold and for pulling said container to its resting position on the bottom of said hold.

A method for transporting a plurality of buoyant cargo carriers, such as barges, lighters, and pontoons, in the sea, employing a waterborne vessel of adjustable buoyancy having at least one floodable hold for said carriers and gate means in at least one end for opening and for closing said end of said hold and an operable movable collision bulkhead adjacent said gate means, comprising:

• opening said gate means upwardly while there is water in said hold,
• opening said collision bulkhead upwardly,
• floating a series of said containers into said hold,
• forcing all said containers down against the bottom of said hold to hold them there in a stable position and also to displace and thereby purge water from said hold out of said hold through said gate means,
• closing said collision bulkhead in a watertight closure that seals off said hold,
• closing said gate means,
• pumping substantially all said water from said hold while adjusting the buoyancy of said vessel,
• voyaging with said vessel across the sea to a desired location,
• transferring water from the sea into said hold while adjusting the buoyancy of the vessel to approximately place the water in said hold at the same level as the sea,
• opening said gate means upwardly,
• opening said collision bulkhead upwardly,
• floating out some of said containers, and then reloading as described in said floating-in step through said pumping step, and continuing the voyage.

A method for transporting a plurality of buoyant cargo carriers, such as barges, lighters, and pontoons, in the sea, employing an adjustably buoyant waterborne vessel having a plurality of floodable holds for carrying said carriers therewithin and gate means for opening and for closing and sealing one end of at least one of said holds, comprising:

• opening said gate means while there is water in said hold,
• floating a series of said containers into said holds,
• forcing all said containers down against the bottom of said holds to hold them there in a stable position and also to displace and thereby purge water from said holds out through said gate means, and also to enable exchange of buoyancy between said containers and said vessel when water is in said hold,
• closing and sealing said gate means,
• pumping substantially all said water from at least one of said holds while adjusting the buoyancy of said vessel,
• voyaging with said vessel across the sea to a desired location,
• transferring water from the sea into said holds while adjusting the buoyancy of the vessel to approximately place the water in said hold at the same level as the sea,
• opening said gate, and
• floating out some of said containers, and then reloading as described in said floating-in step through said pumping step and continuing the voyage.

A method for transporting by sea a different types of cargo, one floatable on water and one rollable and to be kept dry, employing an adjustably buoyant water-borne vessel having a plurality of holds for carrying said cargo therewithin, said holds extending most of the length of said vessel and having a bottom lying below the vessel's waterline when the vessel is trimmed and ballasted for seagoing operations, loading gate means located at one end of each said hold for opening during loading and for closing and sealing during seagoing operations, comprising the steps of:

• (A) loading and unloading one hold with said rollable cargo, by
• (1) ballasting said vessel in the water so that the end thereof having said gate means is completely above the surface of the water,
• (2) then opening said gate means,
• (3) providing loading ramp means connecting the bottom of said hold at said gate means to an adjacent loading pier,
• (4) rolling said rollable cargo from and to said hold via said ramp and through said opened gate means,
• (5) disconnecting said ramp means when loading is complete,
• (6) then closing said gate means, and
• (7) in preparation for seagoing operations, ballasting said vessel to a righted, operational position for the voyage, and
• (B) loading and unloading one said hold with said floatable cargo, by
• (1) ballasting said vessel in the water so that the end thereof having said gate means is sufficiently below the surface of the water to enable flotation loading and unloading,
• (2) flooding said hold so that floatable cargo can be floated into said hold,
• (3) opening said gate means,
• (4) floating said floatable cargo from and to said hold through said opened gate means,
• (5) closing said gate means,
• (6) drying said hold, and
• (7) in preparation for seagoing operations, ballasting said vessel to its operational position for the voyage.