Abstract: A bridge crane for use in a shipboard environment consisting of a machinery arrying body having a bolt-on hoist rail. The ends of the machinery carrying body form trucks housing support wheels for suspending the crane from overhead rails. The traversing system is disposed in the machinery body and consists of an air motor coupled to drive pinions which engage a gear rack on each overhead rail. The traversing systems and a pneumatically powered hose reel for holding an air hose for a pneumatically powered hoist are powered from a central air supply through a pneumatic control circuit.

Abstract: Rail interlocking and hoist stop apparatus for material handling systems of he type wherein a hoist travels between a movable rail and a stationary rail comprising a master stop assembly located on the movable rail and a slave stop assembly located on the stationary rail. The apparatus is manually actuated through a mechanical linkage which pushes a master pin in the master stop assembly toward the slave stop assembly. If the rails are in proper alignment, the end of the master pin is inserted into a bore in the slave assembly where it displaces a slave pin. The movement of the slave pin causes a crossover pin in the slave assembly to be partially inserted into a bore in the master assembly where it displaces a locking pin. The movement of the slave pin and the crossover pin in the slave assembly is rigidly coupled to stop pins located in the slave assembly and which are disposed in the path of the hoist when the stop system is unactuated.

Abstract: A platform loading system having an elevator platform mounted loader unit d a magazine mounted loader unit in each magazine served by the loader system. Each loader unit consists of one cargo tray and its associated tray transfer machinery. In each loader unit a cargo tray may occupy one of two positions, an upper position or a lower position. The load to be transferred is always carried by a tray in the upper position. Transfer of weapons between elevator platforms and magazines consists of a simultaneous exchange of a loaded and empty tray between mating loader units. The loaded tray traveling in the upper position passes over the empty tray in the lower position heading in the opposite direction. At completion of tray exchange, loaded trays may be off-loaded and the now empty tray lowered to the lower tray position by a tray jacking system as required by the next exchange operation.