Submarine barrier

Aug. 22, 1939. j. j. morrison et al 2,170,481

SUBMARINE BARRIER

Filed Aug. 12, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 1

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Aug. 22, 1939.

J. J. MORRISON ET AL

2,170,481

SUBMARINE BARRIER

Filed Aug. 12, 1936

Sheets-Sheet 2

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J- MOKfT/SOL/ a/?e/ James E Howe.

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Aug. 22, 1939.

J. J. MORRISON ET AL

SUBMARINE BARRIER

2,170,481

Filed Aug. 12, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3

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Aug. 22, 1939. j. j. morrison et al 2,170,481

SUBMARINE BARRIER

Filed Aug. 12, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4

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Patented Aug. 22, 1939

2,170,481

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,170,481

SUBMARINE BARRIER

James J. Morrison and James F. Howe, Worcester, Mass., assignors to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey

Application August 12, 1936, Serial No. 95,651

Claims. (Cl. 114—240)

This invention relates to.submarine barriers, and, more particularly, to barriers adapted for use with a signal system, whereby moving underwater bodies, such as submarines, coming in con5 tact -therewith, will actuate the signal mechanism to reveal their presence.

The present invention relates to nets of a sturdy but light construction, which may be manufactured in simple elemental parts on shore 10 and readily assembled at the location wherein use is desired. Their construction is such that any number of the elemental parts may be joined together to cover areas beneath the surface of a body of water of any desired vertical and lateral 15 extent. Each net, when assembled, is adapted to function not so much as a defensive barrier for effectually excluding submarine craft, but rather as an element in a signal system which will, when contacted by such craft, cause surface -20 signals to be actuated revealing the presence and exact location of the submarine.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of one embodi25 ment of the present invention illustrated in installed position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the device illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view of a fas;;o tening employed in the present invention.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV—TV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a composite elevation and sectional view of a form of fastening similar to that shown S5 in Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI—VI in Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detailed view of the device illustrated in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detailed view of one form of frangible link embodied in the construction of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a partial sectional view taken along line IX—IX of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is an elevational view of still another embodiment of the present invention shown in installed position.

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the construction shown in Fig50 ure 10.

Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15 are detailed views of modified forms of fastening devices which are employed in the various embodiments of our invention.

In the drawings, the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a retiform body composed of vertical strands I and horizontal strands 2, secured at their points of intersection by fastenings 3. Suitable types of fastenings for this purpose are illustrated in Fig- s ures 3, 4 and 5, which will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The retiform body thus formed, is adapted to be suspended between the surface of a body of water and its bottom, and ' to this end a suspension cable 4 is provided, hav- 1 0 ing floats or buoys 5 arranged at suitable spaced intervals along'its length. The opposite extremities of the supporting cable 4 may be anchored at fixed points -by suitable anchorages disposed either in the water, or upon adjacent embank- ¹⁵ments of the land. It may be retained under tension so as to reduce the catenary thereof, which function will be further augmented by the floats or buoys 5. The buoys alone may be relied upon to perform this function. 20

Certain of the buoys 5, are provided with anchor cables 6, which extend down through the depth of the water to suitable anchoring means 7, upon the bottom. The retiform body is hung from the supported cable 4 by suitable clamping 25 members 8, which are provided with vertical cable sockets 9 that are adapted to receive the upper extremities of the vertical cable members I.

At intervals along the length of certain of the 30 vertical and horizontal strands I and 2, are interposed frangible link members 10, of any suitable form, a preferential construction of which is shown in Figures 8 and 9. These links are adapted to join adjacent sections that comprise 35 each vertical· and horizontal strand, and are composed of rope sockets II and 12, which are fixed to the adjacent ends of the several strand sections. These sockets are provided with clevises 13 and clevis, pins 14, arranged to re- 40 ceive a frangible or deformable link member 15. Each of the link members is preferably arranged with its opposite ends bent over in opposite directions about the clevis pins 14, in a substantial S shape as is shown in Figure 9. The nature of 45 these links is such that when pressure is applied to the portions of the netting subtended thereby, the link portions 15, will either rupture or deform so as to permit the adjacent strand sections secured thereby, to part, whereby the net portion 50 usually supported by these links, is completely severed from the body portion of the net.

An electrical conductor 16 is attached, preferably in a serpentine manner, to the vertical and horizontal strands of the net by suitable fasten- 55

3,170,481 ings IT. The fastenings 3, which are employed to secure the vertical and horizontal strands together at their intersections, are usually of the form disclosed in Figure 5; that is, two comple5 mentary annular members 18 and 19, joined by rivets 20 to secure the intersecting strands together, as. shown. However, at the intersections where the electrical conductor 16 is laid, one of the annular members is constructed so as to pro10 vide a spool 21, which is adapted to receive several turns of the conductor 16, as is shown in Figures 3 and 4. The conductor, when fastened in this manner, is firmly secured against axial movement relative to the strands along which, it is 15 laid.

The conductor 16 is accommodated, at the frangible finks IB, by spool members 22, which are secured upon the clevis pins 14, in such a manner as to provide for several turns of the 20 conductor being taken about each spool, and so as to obtain a single diameter of the conductor bridging the space between the spools, substantially parallel and adjacent to the link 15. This arrangement is adopted to insure that the por25 tion of the conductor extending between each of the link spools 22 will be ruptured, in the eventuality of the associated link giving way, for purposes to be presently explained. In this manner, the electrical conductor is laid across the entire 30 net, including the portions thereof retained by the frangible links, so gs to cover substantially the entire planar area defined thereby.

A main power cable 23, is carried along the netting adjacent the support cable 4, by suitable 35 brackets 24, which form a part of the clamp members 9. This main power cable connects the portions of the electrical conductor 16 that span the frangible portions of the net to a system of relays, which are arranged to actuate signals of 40 any desired character. In a preferred embodiment, the signals and relays may be located within certain of the buoys, as is indicated at 25, which are instrumental in supporting the netsupport cable 4. Suitable connections between 45 the relays (not shown), signalling means, conductor 16, and power cable 23, are shown at 26. The power cable may extend to as-mapy of the net sections as are employed in the System, and may be extended at one end of the net to a suit50 able station 23, on shore, as by a submarine cable, 27, or in any other suitable manner. Net sections may be added indefinitely to increase the lateral or vertical extent of the net by simply annexing additional sections to those already in 55 place by means of strand clamps 34. As the net is enlarged in lateral extent, the newly added sections may be electrified for signal purposes by splicing additional lengths onto the power cable 23, and conductor IS.

The wiring system is such that when a frangible portion of the netting is engaged by a submarine craft, it will be severed from the body of the netting, and the portions of the conductor IS, bridging the frangible finks, will be broken 65 and carried away with the severed portions of the net. Upon being broken, one of the relays (not shown) is actuated to cause an adjacent signal 25 to indicate at the surface of the water, or in a remote station, such as at 29, which frangible 70 section of netting has been carried away, thus revealing the location of the submarine body.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 10, we have provided a netting similar to that already described but which is perhaps better adapted for 75 protection of bodies of water of considerable depth. The construction is quite similar to that hereinbefore described, in that it employs buoys 5, supporting cable 4, anchor strands 6, anchors 7, hanger-clamps 8, frangible links 10, and strandintersection fasteners 3. It differs from the pre- 5 ceding structure only in that each section, instead of being applied to adjacent sections by strand clamps 34, so as to form extensions of the netting strands already in place as coaxial continuations thereof, is formed in the manner jq of individual curtains, which may be dropped or unfurled in overlapping relationship to the adjacent sections from the support cable 4. In this construction, it may be desirable to provide each buoy 5 with a pair of anchor strands 6, to which 15 the overlapping adjacent sections are secured at points where the elemental strands 2 of the latter intersect the vertically disposed anchoring cable 6. A clamp 33, suitable for this purpose, is clearly illustrated in Figure 14. M • In this embodiment of the present invention, it is only necessary to provide frangible links 19 in each of the vertical strands I, adjacent the upper extremities thereof, which links are bridged by portions of the conductor 16, in a manner similar to that already described. The frangible links 10 are designed to permit easy breakage under strain, as has already been explained, so that the vertical curtain formed by each net section will be torn out when contacted by a sub- 30 marine craft. The nature of the fastenings 33, shown in Figure 14, by means of which the adjacent overlapping sections of netting are made fast to the anchor ropes 6, is such that will permit of the curtain sections also being pulled free of the anchor cables, when the frangible links, 10 are caused to fail, upon the application of tn all embodiments, the disposition and extent of the conductor 10, is such as will assure its being _tsevered somewhere along its length either upon any of the frangible net sections being carried away, or upon the application of cutting devices to remove any portions of the netting by stealth.

If it is desired to provide a strong, impreg- , nable defense netting, the frangible links may be omitted from the above construction, and instead of the annular fastening device 3 being employed to secure the various vertical and horidantal strands together at their intersection, a , sturdy cable clamp 29 may be employed, similar to that shown in Figures 12 and 13. In this form of net, the. electrical conductor 19, the main power cable 23, and associated relay rignal circuits, are retained to function in manner similar to that which has already been described, in the event that the· netting is cut by a submarine craft seeking to penetrate the protected area. Such a net is adapted to withstand considerable force so as to effectually resist the passage of submarine craft, and is only susceptible ot penetration when sheared or cut under water by the aggressor vessel. Such attempts to penetrate the netting will be indicated by surface signals both adjacent and remote from the net. 55

If it is desired to provide a defense net of the .curtain type that will effectually prevent the passage of submarine craft, the frangible or deformable fastening shown in Figure 14, for securing the overlapping edges of adjacent sections to the 70 anchor cable 6, may be replaced by a form of fastening shown in Figure 15, which is comprised of a sturdy clevis 39 with associated pin 31, and. which will resist breaking strains and retain the elements of the net securely together. T5

8,170,481 3

In the frangible link type of net disclosed first hereinabove, it will be observed that its value lies not so much as constituting a defensive barrier, as in constituting a signalling means whereby hostile submarine craft may be instantly detected, located, and destroyed or captured. Its only utility as a defensive structure lies in the fact that any one of its frangible portions, after being disassociated from the body of the net, will 10 be inclined to envelop the craft within its mesh and thereby will be most likely to become fouled in its propellers and steering gear. In this manner, the net does serve to disable hostile vessels, while at the same time, reveals the presence and 15 location thereof. The latter type of net; namely, the impregnable defensive barrier type, is arranged to effectually exclude hostile craft from penetrating into a restricted zone. It is adapted only to reveal their presence and location in the 20 event an attempt is made to cut through them, in which case the alarm as to the presence and location of the offensive submarine craft is given.

Nets embodying the present invention are easily and; rapidly installed in place and are made to 25 any desired size by simply adding additional sections to. those already in place. In the case of sections being damaged or removed by the penetration of a submarine craft, replacements may be kept on hand and rapidly installed to re30 pair the breach. The fittings; as, the hanger clamps 8, fastenings 8,30 and 3S, have been carefully designed with a thought toward facilitating such replacements. While we have shown and described specific' 35 embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that we do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.