Apparatus is disclosed for shielding subsea wellheads from shock loads due to accidental impact due to the landing of retrieval gear. The present invention shields the wellhead from vertical impact loads by means of a generally conical outer structure and utilizes a shock absorbing material between a portion of the outer structure and the wellhead to minimize lateral impact loads. The total structure comprising the present invention completely surrounds the wellhead extension and provides a flexible, energy absorbing structure to protect the wellhead from the impact loads. More specifically the present invention provides supporting guide structure which is rigidly mounted on the wellhead. The supporting guide structure provides means for transmitting the impact loads to the wellheads. Resilient material that exhibits high damping characteristics and which is compatible with a subsea environment is used for absorbing shocks so as to reduce the lateral impact forces sufficiently to prevent failure of the wellhead. The present invention is particularly advantageous for reducing the possibility of oil spill by affording protection to the subsea wellheads.
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