Barge-carrying vessel of the flotation loading and unloading type with wedge means for holding down the barges

摘要

A barge-carrying vessel of the flotation loading and unloading type. Each barge-stowage hold has parallel, vertical side walls that are only slightly further apart from each other than the width of the barges to be stowed. The barges are held down against the bottom of the hold, enabling transfer of buoyancy from the barges to the vessel when the hold is flooded. For this purpose, a series of guides is secured to one side wall of the hold, each guide comprising a pair of parallel vertical tracks. In between each pair of tracks is a wedge having a sloping outer face for engagement with a barge in a wedging manner to force this barge against the opposite side wall. The wedges are raised and lowered as needed, and are positively secured in place in their barge-hold down position.