Floating structures

Claim 1

A BUOYANT STRUCTURE COMPRISING A PLATFORM, A PLURALITY OF SPACED TUBULAR FLOTATION CHAMBERS DISPOSED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE PLATFORM SUCH THAT, IN PLAN, THE CENTRE OF AREA OF THE STRUCTURE AND THE MEAN PLAN POSITION OF THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY OF THE STRUCTURE SUBSTANTIALLY COINCIDE, EACH FLOTATION CHAMBER COMPRISING A TUBULAR ELEMENT OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM INTERNAL CROSS-SECTION WITH ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY IN A VERTICAL PLANE, EACH FLOTATION CHAMBER BEING GENERALLY DEVOID OF SURFACES AGAINST WHICH VERTICAL COMPONENETS OF HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE CAN ACT, EACH FLOTATION CHAMBER HAVING AN OPEN LOWER END PORTION, MEANS CLOSING AN UPPER END PORTION OF EACH FLOTATION CHAMBER, CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING TOGETHER ALL OF THE PLURALITY OF FLOTATION CHAMBERS, SAID FLOTATION CHAMBER AND CONDUIT MEANS TOGETHER AT ALL TIMES DEFINING A CONTINUOUS AND UNINTERRUPTED AIR SPACE WHEREBY THE PRESSURE OF AIR CONTAINED IN ANY ONE CHAMBER IS AT ALL TIMES MAINTAINED SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE PRESSURE OF AIR IN THE REMAINING CHAMBERS, SAID FLOTATION CHAMBERS BEING DEVOID OF BUOYANCY MEANS IN THE FORM OF CLOSED CHAMBERS AND THE SOLE MEANS FOR IMPARTING THE TOTAL BUOYANT SUPPORT FOR SAID STRUCTURE IS THE AIR ENTRAPPED IN SAID FLOTATION CHAMBERS AND CONDUIT MEANS, SAID STRUCTURE BEING INSTRINSICALLY UNSTABLE BUOYANCY-WISE, AND NON-BUOYANT STABILIZING MEANS FOR INSURING POSITIVE STABILITY OF THE STRUCTURE WHEN AFLOAT WHEREBY THE STRUCTURE IS UNRESPONSIVE TO WAVE MOTION AND DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO STABILIZING FORCES DUE TO BUOYANCY.