Disconnectable mooring system

An improved detachable vessel mooring system including a vessel having a vertically aligned turret rotatably secured to its hull such that said hull and turret may rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a selectively operable hydraulic connector assembly having a collet flange hub mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulic collet connector mounted to the bottom of said turret wherein the improvement comprises

• a turret support ring secured to the bottom of said turret, said turret ring having an inwardly facing spherical annular seat, and
• a collet connector support ring carried by said collet connector, said collet connector support ring having an outwardly facing spherical annular ball surface such that said outwardly facing surface of said collet connector support ring may rock within said inwardly facing spherical annular seat of said turret support ring.

An improved detachable vessel mooring system including a vessel having a vertically aligned turret rotatably secured to its hull such that said hull and turret may rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a selectively operable hydraulic connector assembly having a collet flange hub mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulic collet connector mounted to the bottom of said turret wherein the improvement comprises means for raising said collet connector to the top of said turret while said vessel is connected to said buoyant mooring element.

An improved detachable vessel mooring system including a vessel having a vertically aligned turret rotatably secured to its hull such that said hull and turret may rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a selectively operable hydraulic connector assembly having a collet flange hub mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulically powered collet connector mounted to the bottom of said turret wherein the improvement comprises

• means for selective forcing said connector assembly in an upward direction with respect to the bottom end of said turret, thereby establishing pre-load tension between said collet flange hub and collet connector of said connector assembly, and
• means for substantially maintaining said pre-load tension in said connector assembly after it is no longer being selectively forced in an upward direction.

An improved detachable vessel mooring system including a vessel having a vertical well which is open to the sea and in which sea water rises to a maximum height within said well which is substantially the same height as the exterior water line of said vessel when said vessel is fully loaded and including a vertically aligned turret rotatably secured to the vessel within the well such that said hull and turret may rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and including a mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including connection apparatus by which said mooring element is selectively connectable to the bottom of the turret wherein the improvement includes,

• an axial load bearing assembly disposed within said well at a position above said maximum height to which water rises in said well;
• and
• removable coupling means for coupling said turret to said bearing assembly means and for allowing said bearing assembly means to be removed from said well without removing said turret from said well.

An improved detachable vessel mooring system including a vessel having a vertical well which is open to the sea and in which sea water rises to a maximum height when said vessel is fully loaded and having a turret with a vertical axis aligned with and rotatably secured to the vessel within the well such that said hull and turret may rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and including a mooring element with a vertical axis and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including connection apparatus by which said mooring element may be selectively connected to the bottom of the turret, and including a turret drive assembly by which said turret may be rotated within said well of said vessel when said mooring element is not connected to said turret wherein the improvement includes

• at least two downwardly facing alignment pins disposed at the bottom of said turret with hydraulic means to reciprocate said pins selectively from a retracted position to an extended position below the bottom of said turret, and
• at least two receptacle means disposed in a top surface of said mooring element which are adapted to register with and to receive said alignment pins when said mooring element is axially and rotationally aligned with said turret.

An improved detachable vessel mooring system including a vessel having a vertically aligned turret rotatably secured to its hull such that said hull and turret may rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a selectively operable hydraulic connector assembly having a collet flange hub mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulic collet connector mounted to the bottom of said turret wherein the improvement comprises

• a which and chain jack assembly disposed on said vessel,
• a cable connected between said which and chain jack assembly and said buoyant mooring element for applying an upward force on said buoyant mooring element against the bottom end of said turret, and
• means for raising said hydraulic collet connector to a position toward the top of said turret, whereby said vessel may be typically moored while said collet connector may be inspected.

An improved detachable vessel mooring system including a vessel having a vertically aligned turret rotatably secured to its hull such that said hull and turret may rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a selectively operable hydraulic connector assembly having a collet flange hub mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulically powered collet connector mounted to the bottom of said turret wherein the improvements comprises;

• means for selectively forcing said connector assembly in an upward direction with respect to the bottom end of said turret, thereby establishing pre-load tension between said collet flange hub and collet connector of said connector assembly;
• and
• means for substantially maintaining said pre-load tension in said connector assembly after it is no longer being selectively forced in an upward direction.