Shipborne conveying means

Claim 2

Means arranged and adapted for the conveyance of a helicopter on the deck of a ship, comprising: a. a load carrier; b. guide means fixed in relation to a deck of the ship; the guide means being adapted to restrain and to guide the load carrier and to position the load carrier under the helicopter after the helicopter has landed; c. a central member provided on the underside of the helicopter; d. anchor means carried by the load carrier; and e. operating means whereby the anchor means can be operated partially to embrace that central member to anchor the helicopter relative to the load carrier; whereby in use the landed helicopter is first secured to the load carrier, and the helicopter is then moved bodily about the deck by the load carrier under the guidance of the guide means.

Claim 3

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a. a guide rail constitutes the guide meaNs; and b. wheels are provided on the load carrier, these wheels being arranged to engage the guide rail and to locate the load carrier relative to the guide rail against all movements except movements along the guide rail.

Claim 4

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 2, and in which: a. the guide rail is in the form of a metal strip shaped on opposite sides to form two guide tracks; and b. the said wheels include a plurality of wheels arranged to engage a first of the guide tracks, and at least one wheel arranged to engage the second of the guide tracks.

Claim 5

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a. the helicopter carrier is arranged to guide the load; and b. the weight of the helicopter is transferred directly to the said deck or to members, other than the load carrier, carried by the said deck.

Claim 6

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: the helicopter carrier is arranged both to guide the load and to carry its weight.

Claim 7

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a. the load carrier is arranged both to guide the helicopter and to carry the weight of the helicopter; b. a first part of the load carrier is acted on by the guide means; c. a second part of the load carrier is connected to the first part in a manner ensuring that most of the weight of the helicopter will not be transferred to the guide means; and d. the said second part is provided with wheels by which the weight of the helicopter is at least for the most part carried by the deck of the ship and not by the said first part and by the guide means.

Claim 8

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a. the load carrier is arranged both to guide the helicopter and to carry the weight of the helicopter; b. a first part of the load carrier is acted on by the guide means; c. a second part of the load carrier is connected to the first part in a manner ensuring that most of the weight of the helicopter will not be transferred to the guide means; d. the said second part is provided with wheels by which the weight of the helicopter is at least for the most part carried by the deck of the ship and not by the said first part and by the guide means; e. the second part of the load carrier is arranged for movement axially of the guide means to a position in which it can assume the weight of the helicopter; and f. jack means provided on the said second part by which the weight of the helicopter can be assumed by the said second part.

Claim 9

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a. wheels are provided on the load carrier and engage a deck of the ship to carry the weight of the helicopter; and b. jack means provided on the helicopter carrier are operable to transfer the weight of the load from the deck to the wheeled load carrier.

Claim 10

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 8, and in which: a. the jack means are hydraulic jacks; and b. a complete hydraulic system for the raising and lowering of the said jacks is carried by the load carrier.

Claim 11

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a. the central member is a probe carried by the helicopter; b. a trap device carried by the ship is arranged to seize and secure the probe when the helicopter lands; and c. the trap device is arranged to release the probe only when the helicopter has been secured to the wheeled load carrier.

Claim 12

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 10, and in which: a. skid-type landing gear is provided on the helicopter; b. a turntable on the deck of the ship carries the trap device; c. the wheeled load carrier is movable between the skids into position to engage the probe after the turntable has been turned to bring the skids of the landing gear into paraLlelism with a longitudinal axis of the guide means.

Claim 13

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a. the load carrier is arranged to move axially of the guide means into proper relationship to the helicopter; b. a central member is provided on the helicopter; c. the anchor means are arranged to move laterally of the guide means to anchor the said central member of the helicopter to the load carrier.

Claim 14

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 12, and in which: a. a probe carried by the helicopter constitutes the said central member; b. a trap device is fixed to the deck of the ship and is adapted to seize the said probe when the helicopter lands on the deck; and c. the probe is released from the said trap device only after the helicopter is anchored to the load carrier.

Claim 15

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 13, and in which: a. the helicopter has forward landing wheels; b. the guide means are arranged to guide the load carrier to pass to one side of these forward landing wheels to a position axially opposite the center of mass of the helicopter; c. a further anchoring point is provided on the helicopter displaced both axially and laterally, relative to the helicopter longitudinal axis, relative to the probe; and d. the load carrier is adapted for securement both to the said probe and to that further anchoring point.

Claim 16

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a turntable device is provided by which the helicopter can be reoriented before being anchored to the load carrier; whereby a desired fore-and-aft axis of the helicopter can be reoriented into alignment or parallelism with a fore-and-aft axis of the load carrier.

Claim 17

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, in combination with: a. a turntable device on which the helicopter can be reoriented before anchorment to the load carrier; and b. power means by which the turntable device can be rotated to effect reorientation thereof; whereby a desired fore-and-aft axis of the helicopter can be reoriented into alignment or parallelism with a fore-and-aft axis of the load carrier.

Claim 18

Means for the conveyance of a helicopter according to claim 1, and in which: a. a probe provided on the said helicopter extends downwardly below the body part of the helicopter; b. a turntable device is provided on the said deck; c. a trap device is provided on the said turntable and is adapted to grip and hold the said probe once the helicopter has landed on the deck; and d. a landing plate on the turntable device is arranged to support the weight of the helicopter as it lands; whereby the fore-and-aft axis of the landed helicopter can be reoriented by rotation of the turntable into alignment or parallelism with the fore-and-aft axis of the load carrier.