Inventors:
Stanley T. Uyeda - Orange CA
E. John Radu - Fountain Valley CA
William J. Talbot - Corona Del Mar CA
Norman Feldman - Huntington Beach CA
Assignee:
Santa Fe International Corporation - Orange CA
International Classification:
F16L 100, B63B 3504
Abstract:
A self propelled reel pipe laying ship having forward, midship and stern sections, and having a reel mounted at the midship and thereof about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation extending transversely of the ship, such that the load of the reel is distributed downwardly and outwardly substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the ship, the ship further including pipe conditioning means located at the stern section for movement about a pivot axis extending substantially parallel to the rotational axis of the reel and (a) radius control means for imparting a substantially uniform curve to the pipe after it is unspooled from the reel, (b) straightening means for imparting a reverse bending force to the pipe opposite the curvature imparted to the pipe by the reel, and (c) means for guiding the pipe into the water after it emerges from the straightening means; and means for pivoting the pipe conditioning means about its pivot axis to adjust the pipe entry angle at which pipe enters the water after passing through the pipe guide means.