Abstract: A leveling apparatus is lowered onto a structure, such as a subsea template, having one or more latching receptacles secured thereon and through which a pile has been driven into the ocean floor. The apparatus engages the open end of the pile and releasably latches onto the receptacle. The apparatus has a lift frame at its upper end, a landing ring below the lift frame, a cylinder frame below the landing ring, and a latch frame below the cylinder frame. The lift frame is connected to the latch frame by vertical stabilizer columns secured to the lift frame and connected at their lower ends to latches in the latch frame. The landing ring is slidably mounted on the stabilizer columns and hydraulic lift cylinders secured to the cylinder frame have their rod ends secured to the housing of the latch frame.

Abstract: Gripper devices are installed in the spudwells of a platform or causeway section and manually operated to grip the pile to suspend the platform or causeway section in a level position on the piles. Each gripper device has a cylindrical bowl with a flat mounting flange at the bottom end. The bowl has large central bore extending from the top end and terminating in a smaller bore at the bottom end defining a shoulder therebetween. A series of circumferentially spaced actuator segments having a vertical outer wall and a radial flange at the top end are mounted within the bowl by bolts for vertical movement relative to the bowl. The actuator segments have a downwardly and radially outwardly tapered interior wedging surface with a T-shaped slot extending along the wedging surface. A series of slip segments have a toothed interior surface for gripping the pile and a tapered exterior wedging surface corresponding to the wedging surface of the actuator segments.