Submarine torpedo tube motion weapon restrainer

The positioning assembly in accordance with claim wherein said cylinder has a chamber with a smaller diameter portion adjacent the end through which said piston rod extends and a larger diameter portion adjacent the other end providing a shoulder therebetween, wherein said piston rod has a fixed piston thereon in sealing engagement with the wall defining said smaller diameter portion, and wherein there are included (i) a movable piston in said larger diameter portion in sealing engagement with the wall thereof, (ii) resiliently compressible biasing means biasing said movable piston against said shoulder, (iii) ports in said cylinder into said chamber adjacent each end thereof and in said smaller diameter portion adjacent said shoulder, whereby (a) fluid under pressure introduced through said ports in the end of said larger diameter portion and adjacent said shoulder will move said piston rod to a fully outwardly extended position, (b) fluid under pressure introduced through said ports at each end of said chamber will move said piston rod to an intermediate position in which the inner end thereof abuts the movable piston, and (c) fluid under pressure supplied only to the port adjacent the end of said smaller diameter portion will move said piston rod to a retracted position in which it moves said movable piston away from the shoulder against said biasing means and towards said other end of said cylinder.

In combination with a torpedo tube having a breech and muzzle ends and a torpedo having a pair of axially spaced radially projecting guide studs intermediate its length, a positioning assembly for controlling the movement of said torpedo along said tube, said positioning assembly including:

• a support mounted on said torpedo tube adjacent the forward one of said torpedo guide studs;
• a slide member slidably movable on said support transversely of said torpedo tube and having a control surface with a series of abutment surfaces for said forward guide stud to provide abutment surfaces limiting movement of said stud thereabout including a first transverse abutment surface limiting axial movement of said torpedo towards said muzzle end of said tube during loading thereinto, an axially spaced second transverse abutment surface cooperating with said first abutment surface to limit axial movement of said torpedo in either direction axially in said tube, and an axial abutment surface adjacent the aft end of said control member adapted to abut said guide stud to limit movement of said slide member until said guide stud has moved in said tube therebeyond towards said muzzle, said several slide member abutment surfaces being operatively alignable with said forward torpedo stud by movement of said slide member on said support between predetermined positions, said control member being movable on said support to (i) a first position wherein said projection is engageable with only said first abutment surface, (ii) a second position wherein said projection is disposed between said first and second abutment surfaces, and (iii) a third position wherein said projection is free from said first abutment surface so that said torpedo is movable towards said muzzle end of said tube, but initially abuts said axial abutment surface to limit motion of said slide member;
• and
• drive means for moving said slide member between said predetermined positions.