A novel traction winch for cceanographic moorings

A new oceanographic mooring winch has been developed at B.I.O. to simplify operations while at the same time reducing the potential for material damage. The winch incorporates a novel arrangement of a grooveless traction roller system to allow mooring line storage at a low tension and provides for automatic separation of successive cable wraps on the rollers to eliminate snagging of terminations. An angled roller mounting arrangement allows a "pack" of cable wraps to glide back and forth across the rollers, following the spooling on the storage reel without the aid of a fairlead system. Storage reels are quickly interchangeable with hydraulic power assist for the separation of different mooring line types or the laying of very long moorings. The device has been employed for the successful deployment and recovery of 5000 m (16,000 ft) long steel/Kevlar moorings and has significantly reduced handling problems.