May 13, 1958

2,834,31 1

G1 C. ENGSTRAND
FLOATING DRY DOCK

Original Filed Dec. 7, 1950

2 Sheets-Sheet 1

INVENTOR.

guizlzarafngstrazzd
BY

////// ///

F|G.4

%
ATTORNEY

May- 13, 1958

G. c. ENGSTRAND

'

2,334,311

FLOATING DRY DOCK

Original Filed Dec. 7, 1950

'2_$heets-Sheet 2

INVENTOR. '

gunmrafnysmzzd
BY

'

ATTORNEY

United States Patent 9.

Pce

2,834,311
Patented May 13, 1958

2
the central ?ooding compartment 6. In each wing wall 2
is a sloping bulkhead 7, also extending from end to end the
full length of the dock, and from the upper inner corner of
the wall down towards the level of the deck 8 of the pon
toon 1, ending at the outboard face of said wall 2.

2,834,311
FLOATING DRY DOCK

Gunnar C. Engstrand, New York, N. Y., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Frederic R. Harris, Inc., New
York, N. Y., a corporation of New York

The sloping bulkheads 7 are the means whereby the

upper interior space of the wing walls 2 are divided from
the remainder of the interior of the wing walls to make
Original application December 7, 1950, Serial No.
upper and lower compartments 10 and 11. Pipes 12 con
199,650, now Patent No. 2,740,367, dated April 3,
1956. Divided and this application February 16, 1955, 10 meet both compartments 11 to the compartments 6, run

Serial No. 488,504

ning through buoyancy chambers 13 between the compart

ments 6 and 11, so that the water maybe pumped out from
3 Claims. (Cl. 114-45)
the entire dock from one side thereof. For security rea
both the wing walls are equipped with the sloping
This invention is an improvement in ?oating dry docks, 15 sons,
bulkheads 7 so that if one side is damaged from any cause
comprising a pontoon, hull and side walls, and has for its
that side of the dock may be lifted out of the water with
chief object to provide a dock that may be easily man
no loss of time. The pumping machinery, not shown, can
aged and navigated to be ?oated through a water passage
be located in the buoyancy chambers 13, which are never
considerably narrower than the width of beam of the dock.
?ooded.

This application is a division of my application for pat v20

It is essential that the buoyancy chambers 13 be of
ent on a ?oating dry dock, Serial No. 199,650, ?led De
such size that the weight of an equal volume of water is
cember 7, 1950, now United States Patent No. 2,740,367.
considerably in excess of the weight of the dock. To sub
The invention of this application comprises a ?oating
merge it, the dock has to admit water to the compartments
dry dock that may be tilted around its longitudinal axis
10 and 11; and to keep the dock on an even keel when
to a position nearly vertical to its regular working position 25 6,
servicing a ship, water must be pumped into both the walls

on an even keel. At such an angle, the dock will present

a substantially reduced beam to a relatively narrow pas
sageway such as the interior space of a canal lock; be

2 of the dock to the same level, all as shown in Figure 1.

To incline the dock, the one wing wall 2 must be empty;

and part of the central compartment or chamber 6 and the
cause the width of the dock is greater than the height of
or waterborne wing or wall 2 be partially pumped
its side walls. The turning or tilting is accomplished by 30 lower
out, as illustrated in Figure 2. The buoyancy chambers
pumping water in and out, and the interior of the clock has
13 are located just inside the wing walls 2 in the pontoon 1
different compartments that are built and arranged to be
and the water-tight bulkheads 5 and inboard sides of the

suitable for my purpose. The tilting may be expeditious

ly performed at any time with no special preparation what
ever.

>

To this end, the dry dock is provided with a water

tight bulkhead in each side wall, these bulkheads dividing
the interior of the wing or side wall into separate compart~
ments.

35

walls 2, which extend down to the bottom 9, form the

sides thereof. Inside the buoyancy chambers the pump

ing machineryis located. These buoyancy chambers 13

are spaced apart so that there is a center pumping or ?ood

ing compartment 6 in the pontoon. Also the pipes 12

running through the buoyancy chambers permit water

transfer from one side of the dock to the other.

The nec

In this manner, I construct in each wing wall of the 40 essary valves, pumps etc. are not shown on the drawings
dock an upper compartment that will be ?ooded and a
but will be of well known manufacture.
lower compartment that will at the same time be pumped
The next step is to evacuate the chamber 6 entirely of
out and lie at or beneath the plane of the outside water
water and to pump out some of the water in the lower
level when the dock is in its extreme tilted position. With
compartment 11 of the lowered or water-borne wall 2, as
the other wing wall and the hull between the sides also 45 in Figure 3. _To get the dock fully into position shown
pumped out, the dock is then ready for canal passage.
in Figure 4, the compartment 11 of the lower wing wall
The nature of the invention and the novel features
must be pumped out further and the upper chamber 10
thereof and their functions are fully described at length
of this wall must be nearly ?lled with water and the rest
herein. My invention is especially adapted for the pas
of the dock must be empty. When turned over to this de
sage of military and naval docks through the Panama 50 gree, the dock is ready for transit through the relatively
Canal, where the locks are only 110 feet wide while ?oat
narrow passage 14.
ing dry docks range up to 150 feet in width, as is required
It is understood that modi?cations may be made in the
for the servicing of airplane carriers and other large
structural details of my ?oating dock without departing
vessels.
from the scope and spirit of my invention. The dock
In the drawings:
framework and outside plating of my dock are all of con
Figure 1 shows a dock according to my invention sub
ventional design, and my invention resides in arrangement
merged, with the outline of a ship upon blocks in broken
of the various bulkheads dividing the interior into com
lines, included.
partments by which the results described above are ob
Figure 2 illustrates the ?rst stage of the tilting operation
60 tained.
which is, of course, executed with no ship in the dock.
The clock, of course, has the necessary piping with inlet
Figure 3 shows the second phase, and
and outlet ports to ?ll and pump out the central compart~
Figure 4 shows the dock in its ?nal tilted-over position;
ment 6 and the upper compartments l0 and the lower
and
compartments 11.
Figures 5 and 6 are sectional details of modi?ed forms 65
In the ?rst stage of tilting, the dock is caused to list by
of my invention.
the water that only partly ?lls the compartment 6 and the
The numeral 1 indicates the hull or pontoon of the dock,
lower part of one compartment 11. The buoyant eifect of
which has the wings or walls 2 on its top along the sides.
the un?lled compartment 6 and the lower compartment 13
When a ship is to be raised, the dock is sunk and the ship
are indicated by the arrows 15 and 16 respectively, and
3 is ?oated in to rest on the keel blocks 4. The hull is
this is balanced by the effect of the water in the adjacent
divided inside by two longitudinal upright bulkheads 5, compartment 11, as indicated by the arrow 17 in Fig

extending from end to end. Between the bulkheads 5 is

ure 2.

2,334,31 1

2. A ?oating dry dock having a pontoon hull with bot

In the next stage, the compartment 6 is empty and some

buoyancy is given to the lower part of the dock by the
un?lled portion of the compartment 11 in the lowered
wing. This buoyancy is offset by the presence of the
Water in the two compartments of the same wing, as indi
cated by the arrows 18 and 19, see Figure 3.

tom, a deck and wings at the sides of the hull, the height
of each wing being less than the beam of the dock, said
hull having a central compartment and each wing having
Cl

When the dock attains the full tilted

trated in Figure 4, the weight of the water
age represented by the distance between
through the arrow 19 and the center of

compartments closed against each other, all said compart

ments to be ?ooded and pumped out as required to sink
and raise the dock, a bulkhead between said compartments

position illus
in each wing, each bulkhead extending longitudinally
with the lever
along the interior of the wing, one of said last-named
a vertical line
gravity of the 10 compartments extending from the top of the wing con
taining it towards the deck of the pontoon, said one com
dock indicated at 21 is suf?cient to balance the effective
partment having such capacity when ?ooded as to hold
weight of the dock at whatever leverage exists on the op
said wing Water-borne along its entire outboard side and
posite side of the point 21. Hence the dock is in stable
the remainder of the dock above water in nearly vertical
equilibrium in the narrow passageway 14.
position, each bulkhead extending upward at an incline
In Figure 5 the bulkhead 7a has a lower portion extend
from the bottom adjacent the inboard face of the wing to
ing from within the wing wall down to the bottom of the
ward the outboard face thereof, said hull having buoyancy
deck and an upper horizontal portion 7b which extends to
compartments, one extending along the hull between said
the outboard side of the wing wall; and in Figure 6 each
middle compartment and each wing.
wing wall has a horizontal bulkhead 7 b dividing the wing
20
3. A ?oating dry dock having a pontoon hull with bot
wall into upper and lower compartments 1% and 11b.
tom, a deck and wings at the sides of the hull, the height
The over-all height of the wing walls of the dock is
of each wing being less than the beam of the dock, said
about 54 percent of the over-all width. The width or
hull having a central compartment and each wing having
thickness of each wall is about 21 percent of the total
two compartments closed against each other, all said com
height of the dock, and the thickness of each wall and the
partments to be ?ooded and pumped out as required to
depth of the pontoon are about equal.
sink and raise the dock, a bulkhead above the deck be
The volumes of the chambers 10 and 13 are about equal
tween said compartments in each Wing, each bulkhead ex
and may be taken as one, the volume of the chamber 14
tending longitudinally along the interior of the wing, one
being slightly greater. The volume of the central cham
of said last-named compartments extending from the top
ber 6 can be taken as one and one-half and the volume of
30 of the wing containing it towards the deck of the pontoon,
each chamber 11 as two.
said one compartment having such capacity when ?ooded
Having described my invention what I believe to be
as to hold said wing water-borne along its entire out
new is:
board side and the remainder of the dock above water in
1. A ?oating dry dock having a pontoon hull with bot
nearly vertical position, each bulkhead extending horizon
tom, a deck and wings at the sides of the hull, the height
tally across the wing from the inboard to the outboard face
of each Wing being less than the beam of the dock, said
thereof, said hull having buoyancy compartments, one ex
hull having a central compartment and each wing having
tending along the hull between said middle compartment
compartments closed against each other, all said compart
ments to be ?ooded and pumped out as required to sink

and raise the dock, a bulkhead extending longitudinally

along the interior of the Wing, one of said last-named com

partments extending from the top of the wing containing it

towards the deck of the pontoon, said one compartment

having such capacity when ?ooded as to hold said Wing

water-borne along its entire outboard side and the re 4
mainder of the dock above water in nearly vertical posi

tion, each bulkhead extending from the bottom adjacent

the inboard side to the outboard side, above the deck,
and being horizontal at the outboard side, said hull having
buoyancy compartments, one extending along the hull be 50
tween said middle compartment and each wing.

and each wing.

References Cited in the ?le of this patent

UNITED STATES PATENTS
755,854

Dieckho? ___________ __ Mar. 29, 1904

1,486,257
2,576,928

Muller ______________ __ Mar. 11, 1924

Engstrand ____________ __ Dec. 4, 1951

2,740,367

Engstrand ____________ __ Apr. 3, 1956

393,111

Germany _____________ __ Apr. 4, 1924

FOREIGN PATENTS