Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
131~298
-- 2
The present invention relates to a compound ship having
characteristics that permi-t it to navigate in ice.
Polar research, in particular research aimed at Antarctica, is
becoming increasingly important, on the one hand for purposes of
scientific investigation of the polar areas and, on the other,
for purposes of exploration of, for example, the natural
resources that are presumed to lie beneath the Antarctic Shelf.
Research vessels that can navigate in the polar areas throughout
the year must have hulls that are equal to the extreme ice
conditions found in these areas, i.e., in addition to their own
characteristics as platforms for scientific and exploration
equipment, they must also have the overall and complete
characteristics of an ice breaker. Furthermore, research vessels
of this type must also have hulls of very costly design that can
resist the great lateral forces exerted by the ice if, for
example, research vessels of this kind are to remain ice-bound in
order to complete a specific research task such as the
measurement of specific ice drift or the like.
It is an acknowledged fact that research vessels of this kind
that are used for such extreme operations are extremely costly
both from the point of view of design and from the point of view
of production, with the result that it is difficult, not only for
the so-called emerging countries, which wish to par-ticipate in
131929~
polar research to an ever increasing extent, but also for highly
industrialized nations, to have research vessels of this kind
built because of material reasons, and then maintain such
vessels.
In addition to this, for some countries which, on the one hand,
carry out polar research, and on the other, however, have large
coastal areas in which extensive maritime research is conducted,
it is expedient ~hat such research vessels can be used both in
polar research and for carrying out research in ice-free areas of
the seas and oceans. Even research ships that are not capable o-f
navigating in ice are extremely costly to build. Thus, in many
instances, research vessels that can navigate in ice and which
are intended for polar research are chartered, which is once
again entails very large additional costs for building and
maintaining research vessels tha-t are not capable of navigating
in ice.
It is the task o~ the present invention to create a compound ship
that has such characteristics as enable it to navigate in ice,
which makes it possible to neyotiate extreme ice conditions in
polar waters by using a conventional or not specifically ice-
navigable ship, and to move safely through such waters, such ~hat
the overall costs for a compound ship of this type are relatively
low and such that the propelling ship can be used in ice-free
waters alone, as an independent unit.
1~19298
24678-27
According to the present invention, this has beer, solved
by a ship, known per se, which propel~ the compound ship as well
as a navigable, driven shoe section, it being pos6ible to connect
the shoe by its stern to the bow and/or the stern of the
propelling ship. The stern of the shoe has an openinq permitting
entry of the bow (or stern as the case may be) of the shlp, this
opening being of such a depth in the longitudinal direction of the
shoe that a portion of the sides of the propelling ship can be
accommodated within it.
The advantage of a ship of thls kind lies in the fact
that lt is only the shoe section that is attached to the
propelling shlp that needs to have any ice-breaking
characterlstics. It is a generally known fact that, when
navigatlng in ice, the greatest load on a ship is exerted in its
bow area and, when going astern, on the stern ltself. For thls
reason, the bow areas of ships built speclfically as lce breakers
are specially designed ln ord0r to be able to negotiate the
opposing ice. The bow of the shoe section of the compound ship is
configured in exactly the same manner as the bow of an ice
breaker. As an example, the bow of the shoe can be conflgured
preferably as the Thyssen Nordseewerks-Waas bow that ls well known
in expert circles; this bow has extremely good lce-breaklng
characteristics.
Accommodating the bow or stern of the propelling ship ln
an opening of the shoe creates a compound ship tha~ is stable in
the longitudinal direction of the compound ship, for in such a
case couplings between the shoe and the propelling ship can be
,,, . s
~31~2~8
~ 24678-27
provided over the whole of the bow or stern area.
Designing the openlng to accommodate not only the bow or
stern but also a portion of the sides of the ship preven~s ice
building up between the stern of the shoe and the bow or stern of
the propelling ship, since this could prejudice navigation and the
manoeuverability of the compound ship as a whole and provldes
added protection for the lmmediately adjacent portlons of the
hull.
In many cases, this protection will be sufficient but,
according to a further advantageous configuration of the present
invention, the depth of the opening is so great that essentially
only the propulsion portion of the propelling ship, which is to
say essentially the rudder and the propeller, protrude from the
shoe or, if the shoe is arranged at the ~tern of the propelling
ship, only the bow of the propelling ship will protrude from the
opening. This particular configuration is then particularly
expedient if, because of its deslgn, the propelling ship cannot
withstand the lateral forces generated by the ice. The shoe
which, to a specific extent, encloses the sides of ~he propelling
ship, i-~ then so configured from the design point of view that it
can withstand these lateral forces.
L~ s~
~3~L~2~
The opening to accommodate the bow or the stern of the propelling
ship can be configured in any way, not only with regard to its
depth, but also with regard to its shape, i.e., its bow or stern
configuration, respectively, can be matched to the ship or ships
that propel the shoe, i.e., the opening can preferably be of any
suitable conic section.
In order that the shoe with its opening can be connected to any
variously configured bow or stern area of a variety of propelling
ships, it is preferred that the opening be U-shaped in the
longitudinal direction of the shoe, this then being defined, at
least in the above-water area, by side sections of the opening
that are essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction of
the shoe whereas the side of the opening that is proximate to the
bow of the shoe is essentially parallel to the longitudinal
direction of the shoe. The U-shaped configuration of the opening
maKes it possible to accommodate not only the bow and stern areas
of the propelling ship that may be of conic section, but also
permits the accommodation of relatively flat or more pointed bow
and stern areas.
In connection with the above-described U-shaped configuration of
the shoe, the width of t~e shoe corresponds essentially to the
beam of the propelling ship, ~his configuration of the compound
ship demanding a bow or stern area of the propelling .ship that
matches the U-shaped opening of the shoe. In this configuration,
the side wall of the shoe is in line with the side of the
13~92~
propelling ship, so that very good handling characteristics for
the compound ship are achieved because of the relatively small
amount of vortex formation that is generated between the bow or
stern and the propelling ship.
The means by which the propelling ship is connected to the shoe
can, in principle, be very varied. If, for example, the shoe and
the propelling ship are not especially matched to each other in
the area of the opening or the bow or stern area, respectively,
it is advantageous to connect the shoe and the propelling ship
with flexible means of attachment, for example, with cables
and/or chains. More advantageously, however, with a suitable
design match of the bow or the stern of the ship to the opening
of the shoe, in the area of the opening of the shoe, and in a
corresponding position in the area of the bow or stern of the
propelling ship, there are fixed lockable and releasable coupling
systems. Compared to the 1exible means of attachment, this
embodiment permits a more secure connection between the elements
of the compound ship for certain operations, in which connection
these coupling systems can also be operated and controlled
electrically, hydraulically, or in any other way, without the
deck personnel being involved in the coupling procedure.
In the event that some areas of the keel of the propelling ship
are weak, and/or to simplify the coupling procedure, the shoe can
be configured either completely or in the area of its openings in
~ 3~2~8
the manner of a floating dock, so that the propelling ship and
the shoe can be coupled to each other by doc]cing the propelling
ship. As a matter of principle, the shoe can have a bottom in
the area of its opening, although it can also be designed without
any such bottom.
In order to carry out the coupling procedure, i.e., to couple or
uncouple the elements of the compound ship, both the shoe and the
propelling ship can be provided with submersion systems to
provide for at least a partial submersion, i.e., both the ship
and the shoe can have ballast chambers or the like which will
cause either vessel to submerge within specified limits when they
are operated.
The provision of such means permits in an advantageous manner the
configuration of a relatively simple, very robust and effective
coupling system, with the coupling system on the shoe being in
the form of at least two depressions that are open towards the
opening, whereas the coupling system in the area of the
propelling ship can be configured in the form of two trunnions
that engage in the depressions in the shoe. Depending on whether
the depressions are open in the direction of the deck of the shoe
or in the direction of its keel, the propelling ship can either
be hooked on with its trunnions in the depressions of the shoe or
else the shoe can be hooked on to the trunnions of the ship.
Once this has been done and the hooking-on procedure completed,
~ 3 ~
g
the depressions are secured by suitable bolts, so that the
trunions are held securely within them.
Regardless of the type of coupling system that is used, the
coupling connection between the shoe and the propelling ship can
be configured so as to be so rigid that once the compound ship
has been joined together, no relative movement is possible
between the propelling ship and the shoe. This type of
configuration is particularly advantageous if, on the basis of
displacement, the propelling ship constitutes the greater
fraction of the compound ship.
In one embodiment, in which the shoe is configured so as to be
relatively large compared to the propelling ship, it may be
advantageous for reasons of stability that the connection that
joins the shoe and the propelling ship permit a movement of the
ship relative to the shoe in at least one and optionally in
several degrees of freedom. With a coupling of this kind, the
coupling systems can be configured in the form of articulated
joints that make it possible to release the portions of the
joints from each other or else combine them to form an
articulated joint.
Finally, it can be advantageous to couple a shoe to the stern and
another to the bow so that the propelling ship will display the
same ability to navigate in ice as the combined compound ship,
and do this both when going ahead and when going astern.
131 9298
-- 10 --
The present invention will be described below on the basis of a
plurality oE embodiments that are shown in the drawings appended
hereto. These drawings are as follows:
igure la: a side view of a compound ship consisting of a
propelling ship and a shoe, these being coupled to
each other;
igure lb: a section of the drawing shown in figure la, this
being in plan view;
igure lc: a cross section along the line A-B in figure lb;
igure 2a: another embodiment of the compound ship in which the
shoe encloses the propelling ship up to and including
its propulsion and steering systems;
igure 2b: a section of the drawing shown in figure 2a, this
being in plan view;
igure 2c: a cross section along the line A-B in figure 2b;
igure 3a: a side view of the compound ship, this being a
partial view;
igure 3b: a plan view of the drawing as in figure 3a, the bow
area of the propelling ship being separately
configured to match the essentially U-shaped opening
of the shoe;
igure 4a: a side view of -the compound ship with the shoe
configured as a cargo carrier with its own
cargo-handling boom and deck house, this being in
cross section;
~ 3192~8
11 --
igure 4b: a plan view of the drawing as in figure 4a, the
opening being semi-circular and connection between
the ship and the shoe being effected by chains;
Figure 4c: a cross section through the shoe shown in figure 4b;
Figure 5: a perspective drawing of the bow area of the
propelling ship, with the coupling systems being in
the form of trunnions;
Figure 6: a perspective view of a section of the inner side of
the side of the opening in the shoe, with the
coupling system in the form of a depression, a safety
bar being inserted therein.
Fundamentally, the compound ship 10 consists of a propelling ship
11 and a shoe 12. The shoe 12 has an ice-breal~er bow 13 and a
stern 14. The ice-breaker bow 13 corresponds to a bow such as is
usually configured in an ice breaker. Fundamentally, the ice-
breaker bow 13 of the shoe 12 can be formed according to the
design configuration that applies to ice breakers. In
particular, a Thyssen Nordseewerke-Waas bow is particularly
suitable for configuring the bow 13 of the shoe 12.
It is noted here that the shoe 12, the configuration of which
will be described below in connection with its attachment to the
bow 15 of the propelling ship 11, can also be connected without
any restrictions to the stern 150 of the propelling ship 11. It
can also be arranged that a shoe 12 be connected to the bow 15
-
~i 3 ~ 8
- 12 -
and another shoe can be connected to the stern 150 of the
propelling ship 11, so that the ship will be able to navigate in
ice both when going ahead and when going astern.
For reasons of simplicity, in the subsequent example, only a shoe
12 as is coupled to the bow 15 of the ship 11 will be described.
The shoe that is shown in figures 1 to 3 has only one
insignificant hold, i.e., these embodiments of the shoe 12 serve
primarily only as ice breaker shoes 12.
Within the stern 14 of the shoe 12, there is an opening 16 in
which, as is seen in the drawings of figures 1 to 4, the bow 15
of the propelling ship protrudes. The shoe 12 itself is
independently navigable in all of the embodiments described and
shown herein.
In the embodiment which is shown in figures la and lb, the bow 15
of the propelling ship 11 is of conic form in the longitudinal
direction of the ship, i.e., the hull of the ship 11 is in the
form of a parabola, an ellipse, or a hyperbola in the area of the
bow 18. The opening 16 in the stern of the shoe 12 is configured
in a corresponding manner, so that there is a good match and fit
between both parts of the compound snip 10 so as to configure a
good connection between them.
- 13 - ~ 3 ~ ~2~8
In the bow area 18 of the propelling ship 11, as in the
corresponding area of the opening 16 of the shoe 12, there are
attachment means 31, 32, by means of which the propellinq ship
and the shoe 12 can be coupled to each other (see figures 4b and
5 and 6); the coupling systems and their operation will be
described in detail below.
In contrast to the embodiment of the compound ship 10 that is
shown in figures la and lb, the embodiment as in figures 2a and
2b has a shoe 12 in which the opening 16 is of such a depth 19 in
the longitudinal direction 17 of the ship that a significant
portion of the sides 21, 22 of the propelling ship 11 are
accommodated within it. In this embodiment, essentially only the
propulsion section 22 of the propelling ship extends from the
shoe 12. This embodiment also makes it possible ~o use
propelling ships 11 which, by virtue of their design, have no
ability to navigate in ice, i.e., are completely unprotected on
the sides against the effects of the transverse forces generated
by the ice. The embodiment of the shoe that is shown in figures
2a, 2b may have a bottom in the area of its opening 16, although
it is also conceivable that the opening 16 has no bottom. In the
embodiment of the compound ship 10 that is shown in figures 3a
and 3b, the beam 28 of the ship 12 corresponds essentially to the
beam 29 of the propelling ship 11. The sides 20, 21 of the
propelling ship 11 align essentially with the sides of the shoe
12. To this end, the bow area 18 of the propelling ship is
~3~!~298
- 14 -
narrower across the ship, or in the beam, compared to the
remaining beam 29 of the ship, this being done so that the bow
area 18 can enter the opening 16 ln the shoe 12. In this
embodiment, the opening 16 is defined by side sections 24, 25 of
the opening that are essentially parallel to the longitudinal
direction 17 of the shoe, at least above the waterline, as is the
case in the embodiment shown in figures 2a and 2b. Here,
however, the side 26 of the opening 16 that is proximate to the
bow 13 of the shoe is essentially parallel to the transverse
direction 27 of the shoe. Thus, what is involved here is an
essentially U-shaped opening which can, however, be inclined
downwards between the inner surfaces of the side sections 24, 25
of the opening and the transverse side 26. In the same way, the
immediate stern 14 of the shoe 12 can also be inclined to match
the end of the bow area 18, at which this makes the transition to
the sides 20, 21. If, in this embodiment, the compound ship 10
is separated and the propelling ship operated independently of
the shoe 12, a ramp or trap (not shown herein) can be lowered
over the bow area 18 of the propelling ship in much the same way
as is done, for example, in the case of ferries once the loading
procedure has been completed. This ramp or door can be so
configured that the bow area 18 then assumes a normal bow shape,
i.e., in which the bow area 18 tapers conically from the side
walls 20, 21 to the bow 15.
131~2~
- 15 -
In principle, the U-shaped opening 16 that is shown in -figure 3b
need not in general be so configured even if the beam 29 of the
propelling ship 11 and of the shoe 12 are equal, and what is
more, the openings 16 described in conjunction with the
embodiments set out above are possible in principle.
The embodiments of the compound ship 10 that is shown in figures
4a, 4b, and 4c has a shoe 12 which, in comparison to the above
described shoes, has a hold 33 in which solid and/or liquid cargo
34 can be accommodated. In order to make the shoe 12 independent
of other cargo-handling devices during the loading or unloading
of the cargo 34, this has its own cargo-handling system 35, which
can be in the form of a crane or derrick or the like. Although
not shown here, the shoe 12 can also have auxilliary systems to
provide for an autonomous power supply, as well as a heating
system to heat the tanks used to hold the liquid cargo. Shoes 12
of this form can be used as research platforms once they have
been brought to the area of operation in arctic waters as a
compound ship 10; in this instance, as discussed above, they will
to this end have their own auxilliary systems for power supply.
It is also possible to arrange additional accommodation for deck
and research personnel on the shoe 12, so that this can be used
not only as a research platform and a cargo carrier, but also as
living accommodations. To this end, if the shoe 12 is used, for
example, as a supply base for expeditions ~hat set out from it,
it can also incorporate a helicopter landing pad as is indicated,
~3192~
- 16 -
for example, by the H in the embodiment shown in figure 3b in the
bow area of the shoe 12. The length of the shoe 12 can be varied
within very wide limits, depending on particular operational
requirements. Even the design of the shoe 12 will be matched to
the most varied operational requirements. If, for example,
liquid cargo is to be transported, this is lo be so accommodated
that a part of the cells do not butt against the outer slating of
the shoe in order to prevent the fact that in the event of damage
to the outer hull, no liquid that could possibly present an
environmental hazard is discharged to the environment.
~s a matter of principle, and for security reasons, the shoe 12
is so subdivided that in the event of damage to one or a
plurality of comæartments of the shoe 12, the compound vessel 10
will not sink.
A ramp can also be provided on the shoe 12 and this can be
deployed when in the area of operations so as to permit roll-off,
roll-on discharge on the shelf or sea ice or the Continental
Shelf or onto other firmly anchored installations.
In all of the embodiments described of the compound ship 10
described above, the coupling between the propelling ship 11 and
the shoe 12 can be effected by any suitable attachment means 30,
for example, chains or cables. Coupling systems that interact
with each other so as to be releasable and lockable coupling
~ 3~9~98
- 17 -
systems are firmly attached in the areas of the opening 16 of the
shoe 12 and in corresponding locations in the area 18 of the bow
15 of the propelling ship 11. These can be operated or
controlled in any manner, for example, electrically,
hydraulically, or in any other way, so as to make fully automatic
coupling and uncoupling of the compound ship possible. The
coupling means can be so configured that coupling of both parts
of the compound ship will be effected if, for example, the
propelling ship 11 is moved lnto the opening 16 of the shoe 12 in
a manner similar to docking.
In other possible embodiments of the coupling between the
propelling ship 11 and the shoe 12, the propelling ship 11 or the
shoe 12 will be submerged slightly, so that the coupling means
can engage one in the other. To this end, both the shoe 12 and
the ship 11 can be provided with submersion systems, for example,
ballast tanks, to provide for at least partial submersion. The
coupling system used to carry out this type of coupling procedure
is then configured on the shoe 12 in the form of at least two
depressions 31 that are open towards the opening 16, whereas the
coupling systems in the bow area 18 of the propelling ship are
configured in the form of two trunnions 32 that engage in the
depressions 31 of the shoe 12, as is shown schematically in
figures 5 and 6. Once the coupling systems have engaged, then a
locking mechanism 36, for example, in the form of a bar, can
secure the coupling joint.
~ 31~29~
- 18 -
As a matter of principle, the shoe 12 and the propelling ship 11
can be joined rigidly to each other, although they can also be so
configured that a movement of the ship 11 relative to the s~oe 12
is possible in at least one degree of freedom or in several such
degrees of freedom.
If the shoe 12 is of greater beam than the propelling ship 11,
the stern 14 of the shoe 12 can be so configured that, for
example, it displays ice-breaker and/or ice clearing properties
base~ on the principle of the hammer bow. Finally, mention is
made of the fact that, in particular, research vessels can be
used as the propelling ship 11 for forming compound ships 10.
