Offshore drilling barge

Claim 1

AN OFFSHORE DRILLING BARGE CAPABLE OF BEING RAISED ABOVE THE WATER ON CAISSONS, SAID BARGE HAVING A PLURALITY OF CAISSON RECEIVING GUIDE WELLS THEREIN EXTENDING VERTICALLY ENTIRELY THERETHROUGH, A PLURALITY OF RIGID SUPPORTING STRUCTURES EACH FIXEDLY SECURED ADJACENT ITS LOWER END TO SAID BARGE AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM GENERALLY COAXIALLY WITH THE VERTICAL AXIS OF EACH GUIDE WELL, SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURES EACH INCLUDING A CAISSON GUIDE FIXEDLY POSITIONED IN THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL SUPPORTING CAISSONS EACH DISPOSED IN, EXTENDING THROUGH AND HAVING A SLIDABLE GUIDED ENGAGEMENT WITH BOTH A WELL AND A CAISSON GUIDE OF AN ASSOCIATED SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, A GRIPPING JAW ASSEMBLY CARRIED UPON AN UPPER PORTION OF EACH SUPPORTING STRUCTURE IN A VERTICALLY STATIONARY POSITION THEREON DURING A BARGE RAISING OPERATION, A MOVABLE GRIPPING JAW ASSEMBLY MOUNTED WITHIN EACH SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT THEREIN, EACH GRIPPING JAW ASSEMBLY INCLUDING JAW MEANS FOR ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING THE CAISSON, AN ACTUATING MEANS FOR EACH GRIPPING JAW ASSEMBLY CONNECTED TO SAID JAW MEANS CAPABLE OF SELECTIVELY MOVING THE LATTER TOWARD AND FROM THE CAISSON BETWEEN CAISSON ENGAGING AND CAISSON RELEASING POSITIONS, COMPLEMENTARY ENGAGING MEANS ON AID CAISSON ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID JAW MEANS TO ESTABLISH A POSITIVE, NONSLIPPING VERTICALLY INTERLOCKING ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SAID CAISSON AND JAW MEANS WHEN SAID JAW MEANS IS MOVED TOWARD SAID CAISSON, FLUID OPERATED ELEVATING CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES WITHIN SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURES, SAID ELEVATING CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES EACH HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENSIBLE PISTON ROD, SAID PISTON ROD BEING CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID ASSOCIATED GRIPPING JAW ASSEMBLIES, AND SAID CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED BETWEEN THE GRIPPING JAW ASSEMBLIES FOR EFFECTING AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN, WHEREBY THE GUIDE WELLS AND THE CAISSON GUIDES IN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURES LIMIT CANTING MOVEMENT OF RESPECTIVE CAISSONS TO THEREBY AVOID EXCESSIVE LATERAL LOADING OF THE ELEVATING ASSEMBLIES.