Importance

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Abstract

A steerable ocean floor dredge vehicle is provided which is of the towed variety, or partially self-propelled. The vehicle is towed from a surface ship via a rigid length of pipe or tubing, connnected to the dredge vehicle via a pivoting joint permitting pivotal movement about two transverse axes and preferably about a third axis, and a telescoping joint for providing movement along the direction of the axis of the towing line. Two flexible cables are connected to the towing pipe between the telescopic joint and the surface, extending about rollers on the dredge vehicle and being wrapped about a winch powered by a remotely controllable, reversible servo motor. In operation, turning the winch in one direction causes the dredge vehicle to be skewed in a first angular direction relative to the towing pipe, reversing the winch via the servo motor causes the dredge vehicle to be skewed about in an opposite angular direction relative to the towing pipe, thereby permitting at least a limited movement of the dredge vehicle along the ocean floor in directions transverse to the towing pipe.

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First Claim