Suppression of cable strumming vibration by a ridged cable jacket

Claim 1

In an oceanographic system for deployment in an ocean environment which includes: a surface station for operation at the surface of the ocean environment, winch means mounted on said surface station, an oceanographic transducer configured for remote location with respect to said surface station and for towing beneath the surface of said ocean environment, the improvement comprising: a flexible, antistrumming, oceanographic cable connected between said winch means and said oceanographic transducer for controlling the relative position therebetween, said flexible antistrumming, oceanographic cable including; a central, strain-carrying means for transmission of tensional loads along the longitudinal axis of said flexible, antistrumming, oceanographic cable, an essentially smooth, external covering means surrounding said central strain-carrying means and effectively joined thereto for protecting said central strain-carrying means and for facilitating reeving and handling of the oceanographic cable by said winch means, and a spoiler means effectively attached to said essentially smooth, external covering means and extending radially outward therefrom between 15 and 35 percent of the diameter of the oceanographic cable and spirally disposed with a pitch which reverses itself in direction at predetermined intervals along the length thereof for modifying the cross-flow of fluids about the external surface of said flexible, antistrumming oceanographic cable.