Apparatus and method for protecting ships and harbors from attack by vessels
OwnerMark B. Metherell, Alexander F. Metherellinventors
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Abstract
There is disclosed herein apparatus and methods for protecting ships and harbors from attack from other vessels. A barrier, fence or obstruction is constructed around the ship or harbor to be defended, either floating on the surface above and/or beneath the surface of the water. When a boat attempts to force its way through the barrier, the barrier uses the momentum of the vessel against itself by using the forward momentum of the attacking vessel in such a manner as to divert, impede, stop, damage or destroy the vessel or mitigate a blast from a vessel. The barrier may be active or passive. Also, a constructed wall of water can be provided to stop, destroy or disable a vessel attempting to go through the wall.
Claims17
Apparatus for protecting ships or harbors from attack by vessels comprising
- a capture device formed by a net of strong material to be disposed above a water surface,
- masts attached to the net for maintaining the net in an upright orientation,
- a plurality of buoys floatable on a water surface to which the masts are attached for supporting the respective masts,
- ballast weights adapted to be secured to lower ends of the respective masts, and
- anchors connected to sections of the net for providing a restraining force on the net against predetermined movement of the net.
Apparatus for protecting ships or harbors from attack by vessels comprising a capture device formed by a net of strong material to be disposed above a water surface
- masts attached to the net for maintaining the net in an upright orientation,
- a plurality of buoys floatable on a water surface to which the masts are attached for supporting the respective masts,
- ballast weights adapted to be secured to lower ends of the respective masts, and
- anchors connected to sections of the net for providing a restraining force on the net against predetermined movement of the net whereby a bow of a vessel engaging the net causes the anchors to be pulled which in turn provides resistance to impart a downward force to the bow of an attacking vessel.
Apparatus for protecting ships or harbors from attack by vessels comprising a deployable “wall of water” comprising
- a plurality of water compartments forming a vertical structure comprising a sea wall for containing water to form a vertical wall of water,
- flotation chambers attached to the structure for retaining the structure in a vertical orientation, and
- the compartments of the structure and chambers are formed of resilient material allowing the same to be rolled or folded into a storage container for storing the sea wall when not in use and the container being attachable to the side of a ship or harbor to be protected.
A method for protecting ships or harbors from attack by vessels via a deployable “wall of water” comprising forming a vertical wall of water alongside a ship or harbor by providing water-filled resilient chambers secured together to form a vertical structure comprising a sea wall, and
- floating the sea wall adjacent a ship or harbor to be protected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.