US 4,919,063 A · Hull construction for a swath vessel

Abstract

An improved hull construction for a SWATH vessel of the type having first and second pontoons disposed beneath a superstructure and coupled thereto by vertically disposed struts. The improvement comprises substantially hollow sponson whose bottom surface defines a relatively narrow horizontally extending strake disposed between the superstructure and each pontoon for producing forces to right the vessel including substantially instantaneously increasing the rate of buoyancy as the superstructure contacts the water surface. In the preferred embodiment, each sponson extends fore and art of the vessel for substantially the entire length of the struts, and includes a bottom surface defining a strake located a prescribed distance below the superstructure for increasing the waterplane area by a prescribed amount when the bottom surfaces of the sponsons contact the water's surface. The bottom surfaces of the sponsons are located so that the vessel is substantially prevented from rolling by more than a first prescribed angle, and from pitching by more than a second prescribed angle from horizontal.

Claims54

Dependent claims

In a SWATH type vessel of the type having at least two submerged parallel pontoons, at least one vertical strut extending upwardly from each pontoon cooperatively supporting above the water line a superstructure, the combination comprising:

the combined buoyancy of the two pontoons being such as to support the superstructure above the water line even while the vessel is at rest;
and
at least one reserve buoyancy sponson supported by an associated strut and interposed between the underside of the superstructure and the top surface of a respective pontoon;
each sponson being vertically aligned above a respective pontoon and supported on its associated strut adjacent and above the water line while the vessel is at rest;
the said sponsons each having a relatively continuous narrow bottom surface extending substantially the length of its associated sponson and aligned with each other in substantially the same horizontal plane;
the said sponsons including said bottom surfaces thereof being shaped and configured to greatly increase the overall buoyancy of the vessel at a rapidly accelerated rate when, due to wave action, the lower extremities of the sponsons become increasingly immersed beneath the water line.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hull construction for a swath vessel

Life of this patent

Hull construction for a swath vessel

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims54