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BUOY
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BUOY (15th See also:century " boye "; through O. Fr. or Dutch, from See also:Lat. boia, fetter; the word is now usually pronounced as " boy," and it has been spelt in that See also:form; but See also:Hakluyt's Voyages spats it " bwoy," and this seems to indicate a different See also:pronunciation, which is also given in some See also:modern dictionaries), a floating See also:body employed to See also:mark the navigable limits of channels, their fairways, sunken dangers or isolated rocks, See also:mined or See also:torpedo grounds, See also:telegraph cables, or the position of a See also:ship's See also:anchor after letting go; buoys are also used for securing a ship to instead of anchoring. They vary in See also:size and construction from a See also:log of See also:wood to See also:steel mooring buoys for battleships or a steel See also:gas buoy. In 1882 a See also:conference was held upon a proposal to establish a See also:uniform See also:system of buoyage. It was under the See also:presidency of the then See also:duke of See also:Edinburgh, and consisted of representatives from the various bodies interested. The questions of See also:colour, visibility, shape and size were considered, and any modifications necessary owing to locality. The See also:committee proposed the following uniform system of buoyage, and it is now adopted by the See also:general lighthouse authorities of the See also:United See also:Kingdom: (1) The mariner when approaching the See also:coast must determine his position on the See also:chart, and See also:note the direction of- See also:flood See also:tide. (2) The See also:term " starboard-See also:hand shall denote that See also:side which would be on the right hand of the mariner either going with the See also:main stream of the flood, or entering a See also:harbour, See also:river or See also:estuary from seaward; the term " See also:port-hand " shall denote the See also:left hand of the mariner in the same circumstances. (3)1 Buoys showing the pointed See also:top of a See also:cone above See also:water shall be called conical (fig. I) and shall always be starboard-hand buoys, as above defined. (4)1 Buoys showing a See also:flat top above water shall be called can (fig. 2) and shall always be port-hand buoys, as above defined. (5) Buoys showing a domed top above water shall be called spherical (fig. 3) and shall mark the ends of See also:middle grounds. (6) Buoys having a tall central structure on
a broad See also:face shall be called See also:pillar buoys (fig. 4), and like all other See also:special buoys, such as See also:bell buoys, gas buoys, and 'automatic See also:sounding buoys, shall be placed to mark special positions either on the coast or in the approaches to harbours. (q) Buoys showing only a See also:mast. above water shall be called spar-buoys2 (fig. 5). (8) Starboard-hand buoys shall always be painted in one colour only. (9) Port-hand buoys shall be painted of another characteristic colour, either single or parti-colour. (10) Spherical buoys (fig. 3) at the ends of middle grounds shall always be distinguished by See also:horizontal stripes of See also: I) shall only be used on starboard-hand 1 In carrying out the above system the See also:Northern See also:Lights Commissioners have adopted a red colour for conical or starboard-hand buoys, and See also:black colour for can or port-hand buoys, and this system is applicable to the whole of See also:Scotland. 2 Useful where floating See also:ice is encountered. ' St See also:George and St See also:Andrew crosses are principally employed to surmount See also:shore beacons.buoys, staff and cage (fig. 2) on port hand; diamonds (fig. 7) at the See also:outer ends of middle grounds; and triangles (fig. 3) at the inner ends. (13) Buoys on the same side of a channel, estuary or tideway may be distinguished from each other by names, See also:numbers or letters, and where necessary by a staff surmounted with the appropriate See also:beacon. (14) Buoys intended for moorings (fig. 6) may be of shape and colour according to the discretion of the authority within whose See also:jurisdiction they are laid, but for marking submarine telegraph cables the colour shall be See also:green with the word " Telegraph " painted thereon in white letters. Buoying and Marking of Wrecks.—(15) See also:Wreck buoys in the open See also:sea, or in the approaches to a harbour or estuary, shall be coloured FIG. 7' green, with the word " Wreck " painted in white letters on them. (16) When possible, the buoy should be laid near to the side of the wreck next to See also:mid-channel. (17) When a wreck-marking See also:vessel is used, it shall, if possible, have its top sides coloured green, with the word " Wreck" in white letters thereon, and shall exhibit by See also:day, three balls on a yard 20 ft. above the sea, two placed vertically at one end and one at the other, the single See also:ball being on the side nearer to the wreck; in See also:fog a See also:gong or bell is See also:rung in See also:quick See also:succession at intervals not exceeding one See also:minute (wherever practicable); by See also:night, three white fixed lights are similarly arranged as the balls in daytime, but the See also:ordinary See also:riding lights are not shown. (18) In narrow See also:waters or in See also:rivers and harbours under the jurisdiction of See also:local authorities, the same rules may be adopted, or at discretion, varied as follows:—When a wreck-marking vessel is used she shall carry a See also:cross-yard on a mast with two balls by day, placed horizontally not less than 6 nor more than 12 ft. apart, and by night two lights similarly placed. When a See also:barge or open See also:boat only is used, a See also:flag or ball may be shown in the daytime. (19) The position in which the marking vessel is placed with reference to the wreck shall be at the discretion of the local authority having jurisdiction. A uniform system by shape has been adopted by the See also:Mersey. See also:Dock and Harbour See also:Board, to assist a mariner by night, and, in addition, where practicable, a uniform colour; the fairway buoys are specially marked by See also:letter, shape and colour. See also:British See also:India has practically adopted the British system, United States and See also:Canada have the same uniform system; in the See also:majority of See also:European maritime countries and See also:China various uniform systems have been adopted. In See also:Norway and See also:Russia the See also:compass system is used, the shape, colour and surmountings of the buoys indicating the compass bearing of the danger from the buoy; this method is followed in the open sea by See also:Sweden. An See also:international uniform system of buoyage, although desirable, appears impracticable. See also:Germany employs yellow buoys to mark boundaries of See also:quarantine stations. The question of shape versus colour, irrespective of size, is a disputed one; the shape is a better See also:guide at night and colour in the daytime. All markings (See also:figs. 8,, 9, 10 and 11) should be subordinate to the main colour of the buoy; the varying backgrounds and atmospheric conditions render the question a complex one. See also:London Trinity See also:House buoys are divided into five classes, their use depending on whether the spot to be marked is in the open sea or otherwise exposed position, or in a sheltered harbour, or according to the See also:depth of water and See also:weight of moorings, or the importance of the danger. Buoys are moored with specially tested cables; the See also:eye at the See also:base of the buoy is of wrought See also:iron to prevent it becoming " reedy " and the See also:cable is secured to blocks (see ANCHOR) or See also:mushroom anchors according to the nature of the ground. London Trinity House buoys are Single Colour See also:Vertical Stripes built of steel, with bulkheads to lessen the See also:risk of their sinking by collision, and, with the exception of bell buoys, do not contain water See also:ballast. In 1878 gas buoys, with fixed and occulting lights of ro-See also:candle See also:power, were introduced. In 1896 Mr T. See also:Matthews, engineer-in-See also:chief in the London Trinity See also:Corporation, See also:developed the See also:present See also:design (fig. 12). It is of steel, the See also:lower plates being s in. and the upper T 7c in. in thickness,thus adding to the stability. The buoy holds 38o cub. ft. of gas, and exhibits an occult- See also:ing See also:light for 2533 See also:hours. This light is placed to ft. above the sea, and, with an intensity of 50 candles, is visible 8 m. It occults every ten seconds, and there is seven seconds' visibility, with three seconds' obscuration. The occultations are actuated by a See also:double See also:valve arrangement. In the body of the ap- paratus there is a gas chamber having sufficient capacity, in the See also:case of an occulting light, for maintaining the See also:flame in See also:action for seven seconds, and by means of a by-pass a See also:jet remains alight in the centre of the burner. During the See also:period of three seconds' darkness the gas chamber is re-charged, and at the end of that period is again opened to the main burner by a tripping arrange- ment of the valve, and remains in action seven seconds. The gas chamber of the buoy, charged to five atmospheres, is re- plenished from a steamer fitted with a See also:pump and transport receivers carrying indicating valves, the receivers being charged to ten atmospheres. Practically no inconvenience has resulted from saline or other deposits, the See also:glazing (See also:glass) of the See also:lantern being thoroughly cleaned when re-charging the buoy. See also:Acetylene, generated from See also:calcium See also:carbide inside the buoy, is also used. Electric light is exhibited from some buoys in the United States. In See also:England an automatic electric buoy has been sug- gested, worked by the See also:motion of the waves, which cause a stream of water to See also:act on a See also:turbine connected with a See also:dynamo generating See also:electricity. Boat-shaped buoys are also used (river See also:Humber) for carrying a light and bell. The See also:Courtenay whistling buoy (fig. 13) is actuated by the undulating See also:movement of the waves. A hollow See also:cylinder ex-tends from the lower See also:part of the buoy to still water below the movement of the waves, ensuring that the water inside keeps at mean level, whilst the buoy follows the movements of the waves. By a special apparatus the compressed See also:air is forced through the See also:whistle at the top of the buoy, and the air is replenished by two tubes at• the upper part of the buoy. It is fitted with a See also:rudder and secured in the usual manner. Automatic a smooth sea. The See also:nun buoy (fig. 14) for indicating the position of an anchor after letting go, is secured to the See also:crown of the anchor by a buoy rope. It is usually made of galvanized iron, and consists of two cones joined together at the base. It is painted red for the port anchor and green for the starboard. Mooring buoys (fig. 6) for battleships are built of steel in four watertight compartments, and have sufficient buoyancy to keep afloat should a compartment be pierced; they are 13 ft. See also:long with a See also:diameter of 61 ft. The mooring cable (bridle) passes through a watertight 16-in. See also:trunk See also:pipe, built vertically in the centre of the buoy, and is secured to a " rocking shackle " on the upper See also:surface of the buoy. Large mooring buoys are usually protected by horizontal wooden battens and are fitted with See also:life chains. .(J. W. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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