Transducer mounting apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for mounting a marine hydrophone transducer or the like on a water-borne vessel, comprising a base to be secured to the deck of said vessel adjacent one edge of said deck, an elongate boom having one end for carrying said transducer and for extension into the water, means pivotally mounting said boom relative to the base for swinging of the boom between a retracted position in which said one end of the boom is clear of the water and an operating position in which said one end of the boom extends into the water thereby to position the transducer below the surface of the water, said mounting means comprising an arm pivotally connected at one end thereof to the base, said boom being pivotally mounted on the other end of said arm, said arm being swingable between a raised position in which said boom is in its retracted position and a lowered position in which with said boom in its operative position said transducer is spaced from said vessel a distance sufficient to avoid the effects of water turbulence on the transducer as the vessel passes through the water, a stop carried by the arm engageable by the boom thereby to prevent said one end of the boom from swinging away from said vessel when said boom is in its operating position, and spring means for resiliently urging said boom toward said stop, said boom, when in its operating position, being swingable from its operating position toward said vessel in response to waterborne drift or the like striking the boom thereby to prevent damage to said boom and transducer carried thereby, said spring means then returning said boom to its operating position.