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Apparatus for launching, towing and recovering a submersible and towable body from a vessel includes a saddle, a winch and cable spooling and tension apparatus. The saddle includes a roller box which is rotatable about the axis of the tow sheave to maintain constant pressure against the cable during

Apparatus for launching, towing and recovering a submersible and towable body from a vessel includes a saddle, a winch and cable spooling and tension apparatus. The saddle includes a roller box which is rotatable about the axis of the tow sheave to maintain constant pressure against the cable during towing. A skewable A-frame for lowering the saddle near the water surface includes a transom arm which is pivotally mounted to the transom and to the tow sheave. The winch may be a multi-drum assembly, where the drums are co-axially mounted; and the drums are rotatably mounted in peripheral bearings at each end, which are mounted in the ends of the winch enclosure. The winch enclosure has a cover plate with a transverse slot to permit reeling and unreeling of cable from a drum. A latch mechanism provides for positive locking of a drum for rotation or non-rotation, depending on whether it or another drum is the one on which cable is being reeled or unreeled. The drums of a multi-drum assembly also have a transverse slot formed in them; and the lips of each slot are profiled to turn inwardly with a smaller apparent radius of curvature than the nominal radius of the drum.

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For use in association with a winch for reeling and storing cable, where said winch is rotatable about an axis, a cable spooling assembly comprising: first arm means bearingly supported in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of said winch, said first arm means being rotatable about t

For use in association with a winch for reeling and storing cable, where said winch is rotatable about an axis, a cable spooling assembly comprising: first arm means bearingly supported in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of said winch, said first arm means being rotatable about the longitudinal axis thereof; second arm means mounted at a first end of said first arm means; at least one sheave rotatably mounted on and bearingly supported by said second arm means; the arrangement being such that cable passes over said at least one sheave to reverse its direction of travel from its point of initial contact with said at least one sheave back towards a winch when cable is being reeled onto the winch said sheave being so mounted on said second arm means relative to said winch that when said cable is reeled to or unreeled from said winch, said first arm means is caused to rotate about its longitudinal axis to provide level winding means for the cable whereby said at least one sheave traverses back and forth across said winch and position said at least one sheave in an attitude relative to said winch which permits reeling the cable to or unreeling the cable from said winch at a minimum fleet anglE of the cable defined between said at least one sheave and said winch, said first arm being rotatable about its longitudinal axis so as to accommodate the cable reach between said sheave and said winch. A winch construction for reeling and storing cable comprising an enclosing supporting frame, at least two drum means co-axially supported by and mounted within said frame and upon which drum means cable may be reeled and unreeled; and drive means for driving said at least two drums, wherein: said enclosing frame comprises first and second ends and an enclosure plate between said ends substantially enclosing said at least two drums; a transverse slot formed in said enclosure plate extending between said first and second ends; said at least two drums being bearingly supported between said first and second ends by bearing support means mounted in each of said ends so as to mount said drum within said enclosure plate and between said ends for rotation therein where each said drum is mounted with respect to the surrounding drum or frame by a pair of opposed circular races at each end of each such drum with bearing means between said races; and drive means for rotatably driving said at least two drums, including first sprocket means formed outwardly of one of said ends and rigidly secured to one end of the innermost of said drums, a drive sprocket, and drive transfer means between said drive sprocket and said first sprocket; and including latch means to securably latch the outermost drum against rotation with respect to said frame and further latch means to latch each drum against rotation relative to the next adjacent drum thereto; and a transverse slot formed in each said drum except the innermost of said drums, said latch means being further adapted to secure said drums for reeling or unreeling cable onto any one of said drums, serially from the outermost drum inwardly, by aligning each of said transverse slots one with another and with the transverse slot in said enclosure plate so that with respect to any drum on which cable is being reeled or unreeled, all outward drums, if any, are latched in non-rotating position with the transverse slots in each aligned, and all inward drums, if any, are latched for rotation with the innermost drum.