Launch and recovery system
OwnerRonald L. Seipleinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The launch and recovery system provides a dive wing and drogue assembly that is towed behind a ship by cables. The dive wing imparts a downward thrust to the drogue, so that the drogue is towed underwater, placing tension on the cables. The cables become stiff due to the speed of the ship and the weight and depth of the dive wing and drogue assembly, so that the cables take on the character of rails. The boat or watercraft to be launched is placed on a sling carriage that is slidably mounted on the cables, so that the sling slides down the cables, launching the watercraft in the stable wake of the ship. The watercraft is recovered by tying a winch cable or line to the watercraft, winching the watercraft back onto the sling, and winching the sling back onto the fantail of the ship.
Claims11
A launch and recovery system, comprising:
- a foil configured to form a dive wing adapted to dive in water;
- a drogue attached to the dive wing;
- at least one cable attached to the dive wing, the cable being adapted for being played out from a launch mechanism mounted on a ship;
- and
- a sling carriage slidably mounted on the at least one cable, the sling carriage being adapted for carrying a watercraft;
- wherein the at least one cable is played out from the ship while underway to drag the dive wing and drogue underwater in order to apply tension to the at least one cable for sliding the sling carriage down the cable to launch the watercraft in the wake of the ship while the ship is underway.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.