Page 171 control and signal building 2827 



2827. Four-Barrel Buoy 



The four-barrel buoy, which has been used to some extent in the past because of 

 its greater range of visibility, is essentially a float, made of four 55-gallon barrels, on 

 which is stepped a mast supporting a flag and four skirt banners. 



The float is made of two crossed frames, each of which has an upright barrel at each end, which 

 are bound together at their centers. Each cross frame is made of four pieces of 2- by 4-inch lumber 

 24 feet long, two pieces on top and two on the bottom of the barrels. The pieces are spaced 12 inch>es 

 apart horizontally by crosspieces and the upper and lower pairs are bolted to one another by four 

 suitable iron rods at each barrel, spaced so as to enclose it, two on each side. The ends of the crossed 

 frames are lashed to one another by 2-inch Manila rope to form a rope square around the float at the 

 top and bottom of the barrels. At the center of the float the crossed frames are secured to one another 

 by metal straps bolted around the 2 by 4's where they cross, both at the top and bottom. A 4- by 

 4-inch mast 36 feet long is stepped in the vertical space between the frames and braced by four diagonal 

 guys from the middle of the mast to the outer corners of the float near the barrels. A large black 

 flag is attached to the upper part of the mast and below the guys four triangular skirts of white signal 

 cloth are tacked to the mast, the diagonal sides of which are lashed to the four guys. 



It is difficult to anchor and weigh this buoy with the gear usually available, and 

 awkward to stow it on board ship unless the several parts are made so that they can be 

 disassembled. 



283. Anchoring Gear 



The ground tackle used to anchor or moor buoys should be heavy enough to pre- 

 vent their dragging or the anchor cable parting during periods of heavy storms; but the 

 anchors shoukl not be so heavy or massive that they will be difficult to handle on deck 

 or the anchor cable too heavy to be supported by the buoy. The choice of an anchor 

 depends on the material available, the holding quahty of the bottom, the type of 

 buoy structure used, the handling gear available, and the depth of water at the anchor- 

 age position. 



The anchoring gear used with sono-radio buoys is the same as for ordinary buoys, 

 except that precautions must be taken to make all connections tight in order to eliminate 

 noises that might be picked up by the sono-radio buoy hydrophone. When a relieving 

 barrel is used the length of chain between it and the buoy structure is usually passed 

 through a section of discarded rubber water hose to dampen the clanking of the chain. 



2831. Anchor 



Where they may be procured, junked railroad car couplers (drawheads) are 

 standard equipment for use as counterweights and anchors. Used as anchors they 

 have excellent holding qualities; they are convenient in size and weight for handling 

 and, if available, can be purchased at junk prices. One car coupler weighs from 180 

 to 300 pounds, depending on the type. One coupler serves as the counterweight for 

 the one-barrel buoy and, with the addition of a small piece of pig lead, will serve for 

 the East Coast sono-radio buoy. Several car couplers may be joined together for use 

 as an anchor. For average holding bottom, three car couplers furnish enough weight 

 (550 to 900 pounds) to anchor the one-barrel buoy. The three car couplers are laid 

 side by side and fastened together into one unit by a half-inch iron rod inserted through 

 the holes at the coupling-pin end. The ends of the rod are bent around the couplers 

 with a sledge hammer. The lower end of the anchor cable is shackled to this rod. The 

 other ends of the couplers are lashed together with old pieces of heavy Manila rope, 

 which also prevent them scarring the deck of the ship when they are moved about. 



