Anchoring system for a floating offshore drilling vessel

Claim 1

An anchoring system for use in mooring a floating vessel of the type having an anchor line storage winch located above the surface of the water, comprising: an anchor line having a portion of its length including one end thereof wound on said storage winch, said anchor line passing from said winch toward the water bottom where the other end thereof is adapted to be secured to an anchor; a tag line wound on said winch ahead of said portion of said anchor line and having an inner end and an outer end; and coupling means for connecting said outer end of said tag line directly to said one end of said anchor line; said tag line being constructed of a material having a specific gravity less than one so as to tend to float in a body of water, and having a length greater than the depth of water in which the vessel is to be anchored so as to reach from the water bottom to the surface, so that when said portion of said anchor line and the said entire length of said tag line are wound off of said winch said anchor line can sink to the water bottom with said tag line extending from said one end to the water surface; said winch including a drum divided into two compartments along its axis of rotation by a partition substantially perpendicular to the said axis, one of said compartments receiving only said tag line and the other of said compartments receiving only said portion of said anchor line.