DESIGN OF A MILITARY, MONO-MOORING SYSTEM FOR TANKERS.

The U. S. Army Mobility Equipment Research and Development Center has sponsored the design of a military, mono-mooring system for tankers. The design work was undertaken in response to an Army requirement for a mooring system to accommodate tankers up to 70,000 DWT in size at exposed, offshore locations while petroleum products are discharged through hoselines and pipelines to storage facilities. The designed military mono-mooring system consists of four major sub-systems; buoy -- a 42-foot overall-diameter, 180-ton floating structure to which the tanker is moored by its bow; cargo-transferring components -- 16-inch diameter hose, swivel, and swivel piping for conveying liquid cargo from tanker to submarine pipeline; anchoring components -- 3 inch chains and 15,000-lb STATO anchors for restraining the buoy at its off-shore location; mooring components -- basically two 12-inch circumference nylon ropes for securing the tanker to the mooring buoy. Salient characteristics of the designed system include the same system components used in various worldwide locations and environments; the system is capable of rapid installation using Army manpower and equipment supplemented with a minimum of special equipment; maintenance may be performed with minimum use of special heavy equipment; the system incorporates features to promote non-sinkability. The manpower, equipment and procedures for installation and operating the designed system are described and discussed. (Author)