Fleet protection attack craft and underwater vehicles
AssigneeJuliet Marine Systems, Inc.
InventorGregory E. Sancoff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A marine vessel comprising a command module, first and second buoyant tubular foils, and first and second struts for connecting the first and second buoyant tubular foils to the command module, respectively, wherein the first and second buoyant tubular foils provide substantially all buoyancy required for the marine vessel, and wherein the marine vessel further comprises first and second engines enclosed within the first and second buoyant tubular foils, respectively, and first and second propulsion units connected to the first and second engines, respectively, for moving the marine vessel through water, and means for reducing drag on the vessel as the vessel moves through water.
Claims22
A marine vessel comprising:
- an elongated closed underwater vehicle;
- first and second propellers mounted on a forward end of said vehicle and adapted in operation to move said vehicle through water;
- said first and second propellers comprising leading and trailing propellers;
- wherein said leading and trailing propellers are adapted to rotate in opposite directions to each other simultaneously;
- whereby to provide propeller generated super-cavitated water flowing from the propellers and thence along an outer surface of said vehicle;
- whereby to diminish friction on the outer surface of said vehicle and facilitate high underwater speeds;
- said vehicle further comprising air trap fins mounted on the outer surface of said vehicle and adapted to contain a portion of the super-cavitated water adjacent the outer surface of said vehicle.
A marine vessel comprising:
- an elongated closed underwater vehicle;
- propeller means mounted on a forward end of said vehicle;
- said propeller means being operable to move said vehicle through water and to produce super-cavitated water for flow aft of said propeller means and adjacent an outer wall of said vehicle;
- whereby to effect a water pressure on the vehicle outer wall less than water pressure forwardly of said propeller means;
- wherein said propeller means comprise a leading propeller and a trailing propeller, and wherein the leading propeller and the trailing propeller are adapted to rotate simultaneously in opposite directions;
- the vessel further comprising air trap fins mounted on said vehicle and adapted to contain a portion of an air skirt formed by said leading and trailing propellers and adjacent the outer wall of said vehicle.
A marine vessel comprising:
- an elongated closed underwater vehicle;
- a propeller mounted on a forward end of said vehicle and adapted in operation to move said vehicle through water;
- said propeller being of a size and configuration to provide propeller generated super-cavitated water flowing from said propeller and thence along an outer surface of said vehicle;
- whereby to diminish friction on the outer surface of said vehicle and facilitate high underwater speeds;
- wherein said propeller is adapted to create an air skirt of super-cavitated water around said vehicle, and further comprising air trap fins mounted on said vehicle and adapted to contain a portion of the air skirt formed by said propeller and adjacent an outer wall of said vehicle.
A method for propelling a body through water, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing the body in an elongated tubular configuration having a propeller means rotatably mounted on a forward end of the body and adapted to move the body through water;
- said propeller means being of a size and configuration to provide propeller generated super-cavitated water flowing from said propeller means and thence along an outer surface of the body;
- whereby to diminish friction on the outer surface of the body and facilitate high underwater speeds;
- wherein said propeller means is adapted to create an air skirt of super-cavitated water around the body, and further comprising air trap fins mounted on the body and adapted to contain a portion of the air skirt formed by said propeller means and adjacent an outer wall of the body;
- activating the propeller means so as to effect the movement of the body through the water and so as to create a skirt of supercavitated water adjacent at least a portion of an outer skin of the body;
- such that the body moves through the supercavitated water adjacent thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.