Marine winch

Claim 1

A marine winch including in combination: a. a casing adapted to be fixed to a deck and having an upper, generally cylindrical turret; b. a winch drum rotatable about the axis of said upper generally cylindrical turret of said casing; c. first unidirectional clutch means operatively located between the drum and the turret and permitting relative rotation between the drum and the turret in one direction only; d. a circular sub-casing within the casing and having an upper sleeve portion extending through and coaxial with said turret, said sub-casing being rotatable about the axis of the turret; e. second unidirectional clutch means operatively located between the sleeve and the drum, said second unidirectional clutch permitting relative rotation between said sleeve and said drum in one direction only; f. said circular sub-casing having a circular flared lower part and a toothed ring formed within said flared lower part; g. an operating spindle located axially within the turret and rotatable relative thereto; h. gearing operatively connected to transmit drive from said operating spindle to said flared circular lower part of said rotatable sub-casing, said gearing including two output gear wheels engaging diametrically opposite regions of said toothed ring formed within said flared circular lower portion of said rotatable sub-casing, the said gearing being arranged to drive the output gear wheels in two ratios selectable on rotating the operating spindle in opposite directions, the operating spindle having at its lower end two drive wheels, a first one of these drive wheels being coupled to the spindle to rotate at all times therewith and said first drive wheel driving the output wheels through two pairs of intermediate wheels, each wheel of a respective pair being symmetrically located on diametrically opposite sides of said first drive wheel, the wheels of each pair being coupled together through a third unidirectional clutch so that one wheel of each pair drives the other wheel of the pair in one direction only, and the spindle being coupled to the second drive wheel through a fourth unidirectional clutch, with diametrically opposite sides of said second drive wheel being in direct toothed engagement with the two output gear wheels.