Salvage vessel with hinged rear portion - submerges rear by flooding to assist in securing wreck on sea bed

摘要

The forward port of a salvage vessel is of conventional construction and has stern propellers and anchoring equipment. The stern of the vessel (6) has a horizontal hinge pin (7) which connects it to the forward part. This stern section is in the form of a raft with buoyancy chambers. Thus the stern portion may be sunk at an angle so that its extremity rests on the bottom. Winching equipment (5) on the forward part enables the wreck to be dragged onto the submerged section which can then be refloated by blowing out the tanks. The rear raft is fitted with rollers to ease the movement of the salvaged vessel.