Apparatus for cleaning of ship hulls

A device for in-water cleaning of a ship's hull which comprises:

• a body having a substantially flat inboard hull-facing face, an opposed outboard face and a peripheral side therebetween, said side and said faces together defining an interior chamber in said body;
• said inboard face and said outboard face each having a central aperture therein, said apertures being axially aligned and joined by an interior wall, said apertures and wall defining a central opening through said body;
• a hydraulic motor-driven propeller disposed in said opening to draw water through said opening in the direction from said inboard face to said outboard face, thereby creating a reactant force to maintain said device in contact with said hull during cleaning;
• at least three detachable wheel modules recessed into said body through said inboard face, said modules including at least one driving module comprising a hydraulic motor-driven driving wheel adapted to propel said device along said hull and a steering module comprising a steerable hydraulic motor-driven steering wheel adapted to steer said device as it traverses along said hull;
• at least one hydraulically driven cleaning means mounted on said inboard face and adapted to be in contact with and clean said hull;
• a hydraulic pump to drive said hydraulic motors on said modules, cleaning means and propeller and detachable conduits to provide fluid connection between said motors and said pump;
• with each of said modules, cleaning means and propeller being mounted to said one of said hydraulic motors through a bearing comprising:
• a cylindrical annular body having a ball race and ball bearings at each end thereof;
• and
• a coaxial shaft rotatably mounted within said body and rotatable through said ball bearings, said shaft having at one end thereof an axial hole to receive a motor drive shaft and being extended outwardly of said body at the other end to engage and drive a rotatable mechanism;
• means to steer and steerable wheel;
• and
• at least one light recessed into said peripheral side to provide illumination to the hull area adjacent to said device as said device traverses said hull during cleaning thereof.