摘要 |
Apparatus for providing a substantially liquid free working environment on a submerged surface, such as the hull of a ship. The apparatus includes a liquid tight enclosure, a sealing edge located on the liquid tight enclosure for forming a liquid proof seal between the enclosure and a submerged surface, a device for altering the shape of the apparatus so that the sealing edge can form a seal with submerged surfaces of different shape, and a device for enabling manipulation of objects within the enclosure by a person located outside of the enclosure, which, in a preferred embodiment, includes a pair of gloves that extend into the enclosure. Such an apparatus can be used by securely placing it against a submerged surface, such as the hull of a ship, altering the shape of the apparatus until its sealing edge conforms with the submerged surface so as to make a liquid tight seal with it, and then filling the enclosure full of gas, such as air, until substantially all of the water has been removed from it. Once the water has been removed from the apparatus, a workman, such as a diver, can manipulate objects within the enclosure to perform work, such as the drilling of holes, on the submerged surface in a substantially liquid free environment.
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