Post-launch flooding control apparatus

Claim 1

A SUBMERGIBLE MISSILE LAUNCHING SYSTEM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A VERTICALLY ORIENTED MISSILE LAUNCHING TUBE, AND A POST LAUNCH FLOODING CONTROL VALVE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING ANNULAR ABUTMENT MEANS SECURED IN SAID TUBE ADJACENT THE TOP THEREOF AND DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID VALVE ASSEMBLY, PARTITIONING MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID TUBE AND NORMALLY RECIPROCABLE BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF SAID TUBE AND SAID ABUTMENT MEANS, SAID PARTITIONING MEANS HAVING A FLUID INLET OPENING THEREIN, A FLUID ACTUATED CHECK VALVE NORMALLY SEALING SAID OPENING SLIDABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID PARTITIONING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH THE OPENING ACCORDING TO THE POSITION OF THE PARTITIONING MEANS IN THE TUBE AND THE POSITION OF THE CHECK VALVE IN THE PARTITIONING MEANS, A PLURALITY OF STUD BOLTS CARRIED BY AND DISPOSED WITHIN THE PARTITIONING MEANS FOR SLIDABLY MOUNTING THE CHECK VALVE, SEALING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BOLTS, SEAT MEANS CARRIED BY THE CHECK VALVE AND COOPERATING WITH SAID SEALING MEANS ON THE BOLTS FOR PROVIDING A FLUID TIGHT CONNECTION THEREBETWEEN, STOP DEVICES CARRIED BY SAID STUD BOLTS AT ONE END THEREOF AND NORMALLY SPACED FROM THE CHECK VALVE FOR CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF THE CHECK VALVE AS SAID OPENING IS UNSEALED, A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED ONE-WAY LOCKING DEVICES CARRIED BY SAID TUBE TO PERMIT UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID PARTITIONING MEANS AS A MISSILE IS BEING LAUNCHED AND SELECTIVELY OPERABLE BETWEEN EFFECTIVE AND INEFFECTIVE CONDITIONS WHEREIN DOWNWARD RETURN MOVEMENT OF SAID PARTITIONING MEANS IS PREVENTED AND PERMITTED RESPECTIVELY WHEREBY THE AMOUNT OF INUNDATION OF SAID TUBE BY AMBIENT WATER AFTER MISSILE LAUNCHING MAY BE CONTROLLED, AND ANNULAR FLANGE MEANS ON THE PARTITIONING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID ABUTMENT MEANS FOR LIMITING THE UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE PARTITIONING MEANS.