Modification of the Stern U-Frame System on USNS SILAS BENT and USNS KANE.

摘要

In Fiscal Year 1987, the Acoustics Division of the Oceanographic Department experienced numerous and very costly accidents involving their Towed Acoustic Reverberation Survey System (TARSUS) underwater towbody and the stern of survey platforms such as the USNS SILAS BENT. With the upcoming acquisition of an even larger towbody designated Low Frequency Towed Acoustic Projector System (LFTAPS), an engineering project was undertaken to provide a near-term solution to the problems of handling large-size vehicles from these platforms. The Mechanical Systems Branch of the Engineering Department developed a mechanical redesign concept for the Stern U-Frame structure that would increase the outboard reach of the structure, thereby decreasing the chances of further costly collisions.