Walking work barge

Claim 1

A MARINE WALKING BARGE COMPRISING: FIRST PLATFORM MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF OPPOSED SIDE PORTIONS A PAIR OF SECOND PLATFORM MEANS, EACH OF SAID SECOND PLATFORM MEANS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID FIRST SIDE PORTIONS, AND MEANS JOINING SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATFORM MEAN FOR RELATIVE LINEAR HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT IN A DIRECTION ALONG SAID FIRST SIDE PORTIONS; A PAIR OF THIRD PLATFORM MEANS, EACH OF SAID THIRD PLATFORM MEANS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID SECOND SIDE PORTIONS, AND MEANS JOINING SAID FIRST AND THIRD PLATFORM MEANS FOR RELATIVE LINEAR HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT IN A DIRECTION ALONG SAID SECOND SIDE PORTIONS ONE OF SAID PLATFORM MEANS INCLUDING A DECK SURFACE OVER ITS MAJOR AREA TO ACCOMMODATE WORKMEN AND EQUIPMENT AND SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD PLATFORM MEANS CONSTITUTING A BUOYANT UNITARY STRUCTURE; A FIRST SET OF LEGS CARRIED BY SAID SECOND PLATFORM MEANS, AND A SECOND SAET OF LEGS CARRIED BY SAID THIRD PLATFORM MEANS, THE LEGS OF EACH SET BEING HORIZONTALLY SPACED AND ARRANGED ON BOTH MEMBERS OF EACH PAIR SO AS TO BE CAPABLE OF STABLY SUPPORTING SAID STRUCTURE ON A MARINE GROUND INDEPENDENTLY OF THE LEGS OF THE OTHER SET AND SO AS TO PERMIT SAID RELATIVE HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT WITHOUT INTERFERENCE BETWEEN SAID SETS OF LEGS; STOP MEANS CARRIED BY SAID PLATFORM MEANS EFFECTIVE TO LIMIT SAID HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT SO THAT AT THE MAXIMUM EXTENT OF SAID HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT EITHER OF SAID LEG SETS CAN STABLY SUPPORT SAID STRUCTURE; JACKING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH LEG SET AND WHICH THE CORRESPONDING PLATFORM MEANS TO SELECTIVELY EFFECT OR RESTRAIN VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF THE LEGS OF EACH SET IN EITHER DIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE CORRESPONDING PLATFORM MEANS IN ORDER TO RAISE OR LOWER SAID STRUCTURE ON A LEG SET WHEN THE LATTER IS ENGAGED WITH THE MARINE GROUND AND RAISE OR LOWER A LEG SET WHEN SAID STRUCTURE IS AFLOAT OR SUPPORTED ON THE OTHER LEG SET WHEREBY SAID STRUCTURE MAY BE SELECTIVELY SUPPORTED BY EITHER OF SAID LEG SETS; MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATFORM MEANS FOR MOVING THE SAME RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER HORIZONTALLY IN A DIRECTION ALONG SAID FIRST SIDES; AND MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FIRST AND THIRD PLATFORM MEANS FOR MOVING THE SAME RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER HORIZONTALLY IN A DIRECTION ALONG SAID SECOND SIDES.