Sonobuoy mooring unit

Claim 1

An improved air-launched sonobuoy assembly comprising in combination: a main submersible buoy unit releasably containing an antenna float with a transmitting antenna secured thereto; a weighted non-buoyant mooring unit releasably secured to said buoy unit, said mooring unit provided with a releasable auxiliary anchor device connected thereto by a length of anchor cable, said submersible buoy unit connected to said antenna float by a length of cable, and to said mooring unit by a variable length of cable, said antenna float and said mooring unit constructed and arranged to separate from said main submersible buoy unit when a predetermined depth has been reached after the assembly has been dropped into the sea, said mooring unit comprising structure defining a first chamber for enclosing a coil of mooring cable having one end thereof attached to said submersible buoy unit, said structure further defining an outlet passageway for said first chamber to permit payout movement of the mooring cable therethrough, said mooring unit further comprising a cable braking and locking means cooperating with said cable and said passageway and movable between a first position spaced from said cable and said passageway and a second position in operative braking engagement with said cable and said passageway to stop payout movement of said mooring cable from said chamber through said passageway, drive means urging said cable braking and locking means towards its second position, a first latch mechanism cooperating with said cable braking and locking means and operative to releasably hold said braking and locking means in said first position, an inertia means cooperating with said latch means and actuatable by impact of said mooring unit against the sea bottom to render said first latch means inoperative to hold said braking and locking means in its first position and thus to release the braking and locking means to move to its second position to engage the cable and stop payout of the cable.