Barge-carrying vessel of the flotation loading and unloading type with wedge means for holding down the barges

A barge-carrying vessel of the type having at least one barge-storing hold and means enabling flotation loading and flotation unloading of barges into said hold, comprising

• a pair of generally parallel generally vertical side walls in said hold somewhat but not greatly further apart from each other than the width of the barges to be stowed therein, and a bottom wall, and
• hold-down means for holding down stored barges against the bottom of the hold, enabling transfer of buoyancy from the barges to the vessel when the hold is flooded said hold-down means comprising
• a series of guide means secured to one said side wall only of said hold and each comprising a pair of parallel vertical tracks,
• a wedge between each pair of tracks, having a sloping outer face engaging a said barge in a wedging manner when said barge is in position to enable said transfer of buoyancy,
• wedge lifting means for raising and lowering each said wedge, and
• wedge locking means for securing each said wedge to its said guide means at any of several possible positions and providing buoyancy forces, acting on the barge when the hold is flooding, from lifting the wedge out of its barge-hold-down position.