SYSTEM FOR CONVEYING A BARGE OVER A LEVEE IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE

Abstract

A system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude providing for safety and avoidance of damage to the barge, the levee, and of persons, where a barge is to be conveyed from a waterway, over a levee, through a floodgate in a floodwall, and into a maintenance building, and the reverse operation, by placing a barge in a drydock, resting on support blocks, aligning the drydock with the floodgate, placing level-raising tractors with tractor controllers underneath the barge, raising the barge off of the support blocks, and rolling and lifting the barge over the levee while keeping the barge in a level attitude, optionally under the additional control of a person using a hand-remote tractor controller.

Description

BACKGROUND

This provides a system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude, providing for safety and avoidance of damage to the barge, the levee, and persons.

Barges are flat-bottomed boats used primarily for river and canal transport of heavy or bulk goods. Many barges are not self-propelled, and must be towed or pushed by towboats or other means. Many barges are long and narrow in order to provide a large amount of internal area without presenting a width that would interfere with navigation. The construction and operation of barges is subject to regulations and safety considerations. Barges, being vessels designed to float on relatively calm waters, and accordingly being supported substantially uniformly along their entire structures, are generally not able to withstand significant differential supporting or torsional forces without damage to the structure of the barge. Therefore, when on land, such as for repair, retrofitting, or maintenance, barges must be kept level and be evenly supported.

The rivers, canals, and waterways upon which the barges travel are often susceptible to periodic flooding. The sites of maintenance facilities for the barges are therefore likely to be relatively near populated areas that need and have flood protection. The maintenance facility is unlikely to be located on the water side of the flood protection, because of insufficient area, legal considerations about the ownership of and rights attached to waterside land, and a need to protect the maintenance facilities from flooding. Often, the flood protection standing between a maintenance facility and a waterway will consist of a relatively low earthen levee, sometimes clad in concrete, with a floodwall extending upward from the crest of the levee. The height of the crest of the levee in such a setup is typically approximately six feet above the normal average level of the water, with the floodwall rising to whatever additional height is needed for flood protection. A floodgate can be placed into the floodwall to allow access from the waterway to a maintenance facility. The floodgate might normally be kept open, be closed in advance of threatened flooding, or be kept closed, to be opened as needed when there is no immediate threat of flooding.

The integrity of the levee must be maintained, despite any commercial importance of any transversal of the levee. This consideration is often strictly monitored and enforced by regulatory authorities. Damage to a levee's structural integrity might be impossible to repair in time for future high water, and might not even be detected until after a catastrophic failure.

Accordingly, the conveyance of a typical large, long, and heavy barge across a levee in a manner where the underside of the barge is kept generally parallel to the upward, and then downward sloping, ground turns the barge into an unfixed see-saw, with first, the leading end extending unsupported upward past the crest of the levee, and then with a change of orientation, with the trailing end extending upward without support. Such an operation would apply damaging folding and buckling forces to the barge, rendering it unfit for further use in commerce, and would further apply damaging lateral forces to the levee, diminishing its integrity. Also, such an operation, with large shiftings of force and direction, would be susceptible to uncontrolled falling of the barge, further damaging the barge, the levee, and any personnel in the vicinity.

The prior art does not provide for a system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude that does not generate the problems discussed above.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,823,523 was issued on Nov. 2, 2010 to inventor Marcelo Alejandro Perez, covering a “Portable Dry Dock System and Method for Commercial Servicing of Recreational Vessels in Inland Waterways.” The Portable Dry Dock (“PDD”) is disassembled and transported from one inland waterway (“IW”) to another. The PDD was designed specifically to improve efficiency in the most typical maintenance jobs in recreational vessels (“RVs”). The convenient layout of the equipment and the closed environment of the PDD reduce the execution time and improve the working conditions. The isolated environment created by the superstructure, deck, and roof of the PDD significantly reduces the environmental impact. The isolated environment inside the PDD is controlled in temperature and humidity. The air filtering and waste water collection systems remove dust and other substances coming from the operation, stopping pollutants from getting into the IW.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,934,467, issued to John Stephen Morton for a “Cost Effective Automated Preparation and Coating Methodology for Large Surfaces” on May 3, 2011, discloses an apparatus and method of preparing and coating a large structure, such as a ship's hull, while in a dry dock. A plurality of spray guns, disposed in an array, are positioned by a robotic arm in a spaced relationship along the surface to be treated, so that their spray patterns overlap. The array of spray guns is traversed downwardly, thus painting a strip whereupon the spray guns are secured, move horizontally, and are then activated to be moved upwardly until another strip adjacent to and overlapping the first strip is painted. The above steps are repeated until the surface area is substantially entirely painted. A shroud is provided for collecting paint oversprays, and other excess paint is mounted in the array assemblage. An auxiliary spray gun may be positioned and its spray pattern adjusted to apply paint to areas that were missed by the original spray pattern emanating from the array of spray guns. Travel of the system along the work surface is accomplished by a reference track, which may be virtual or actual, along which an unmanned platform travels. An articulated computer controlled arm is carried by the unmanned platform, which in turn carries the assemblage. Other tools may be selectively operatively connected to the arm for cleaning the hull before a coating is applied thereto.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,632 was issued to inventors Richard A. Goldbach et al. on Mar. 21, 1995 for an “Apparatus and Method for Performing External Surface Work on Ship Hulls.” The Goldbach system covers shrouded towers for supporting adjustably cantilevered work platforms for performing external surface work on ship hulls (such as abrading and painting), modularized for the sake of economy and efficient utilization. The system provides for shifting of modules using techniques and equipment currently used for shifting shipping containers. Supply and recovery line connections between support barge-mounted equipment, floating drydock, and work platform-mounted work applicators is facilitated by fixed installation of some portions and the provision of flexible connectors between these portions. Alternative adjustable cantilevering structures are disclosed for mounting the work platforms to the vertically movable trolleys. Preferably, rotating wheels, rather than compressed air, are used to propel the abrasive grit against the hull surface, and abrasive supply systems having degrees of automated recovery of spent grit are disclosed. The system was, in part, developed to provide sufficient freedom of motion to permit full worker and/or robotic access to all of the external surface of the ship hull that is to be worked on, and also to contain abrasive blast dust, spent abrasive, paint overspray, and volatile organic compounds (“VOCs”), thereby significantly reducing the quantities of these materials that are released to contaminate the air, nearby bodies of water, ship's mechanical equipment, drydock cranes, and the like, and to significantly reduce the disruption of the concurrent shipboard repair work, all without increasing the drydock utilization times or ship out-of-service times. The Goldbach system is owned by MMC Compliance Engineering, Inc. of Norfolk, Va., as the assignee of the issued '632 Patent.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,823 was also created by inventors Richard A. Goldbach et al., and issued on Oct. 18, 1994 for an “Apparatus and Method for Performing External Surface Work on Ships' Hulls.” This coating system, also assigned to MMC Compliance Engineering, Inc., was developed for use in coating the exterior of a ship hull while the ship is in drydock or afloat, creating a sizable chamber with comprehensive staging access for all required work. That chamber is sealed off to contain environmentally unacceptable byproducts of the coating process, and to keep storm water runoff from passing through spent abrasive and paint overspray on the deck of the drydock or barge. The system further keeps out weather conditions that could delay and deteriorate the quality of the coating process, and ventilates and evacuates the chamber, maintaining an atmosphere inside the chamber that is conducive to worker safety and high coating quality. Further, an atmosphere is maintained outside the chamber that is conductive to meeting requirements for the clean air and clean water laws and regulations, while at the same time reducing the overall cost of coating. The work platform may be configured as necessary, allowing for seats, handholds, rails, and so forth. At its most basic, it includes a support capable of supporting at least one, and preferably two, side-by-side human workers. A typical work platform is on the order of sixteen feet wide (lengthwise of the ship), and two feet deep (widthwise of the ship). Similar support for a robotics device instead of or in addition to one or more human workers is within the contemplation of the patent as well.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,894,467, issued to Robert J. Santure on Nov. 25, 2014, covers a “Surface Media Blasting System and Method.” The Santure system delivers media blasting material to an interior surface of a large storage tank, comprising a substantially upright support structure secured to the surface to be blasted. The upright support structure is preferably vertical, with a frame extending across the upright support structure. An extendable arm is affixed to the frame at a section. The section is securely and pivotably attached to the section in such a way to enable the arm to rotate freely inside the large storage tank, so that the blaster secured at the end of the extendable arm can blast the entire interior surface of the large storage tank while the upright support structure remains in place. A robot blaster is positioned at the end of the extendable arm and performs the media blasting. A work station is located nearby the site of the large storage tank, and controls the position of the extendable arm relative to the interior surface being blasted via a processor and the operation of the blasting delivery system. The surfaces to be blasted may also include the exterior surface of all types of large storage tanks and structures, ship hulls, and exterior and interior building wall surfaces.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,729 is a third Goldbach et al. patent, issued on Oct. 11, 1994 for a third “Apparatus and Method for Performing External Surface Work on Ship Hulls.” In this patent, dry, particulate abrasive for use in abrasive blast cleaning of a ship hull is supplied to blasting pots from abrasive supply hopper assemblies lifted into place from a recycling station. Spent abrasive, with debris, is collected and placed on a conveyor belt extending parallel to the keel blocks, for conveying the collected material to the recycling station. There, the collected material is processed to remove undersized and foreign material from the reusable abrasive grit. The latter is loaded into supply hopper assemblies, which are crane-lifted back into supplying relation with respective blasting pots. Preferably, the abrasive blasting work takes place from elevatable, curtain-enclosed platforms supported on a drydock floor, the blasting pots are located on the drydock wing wall, the abrasive grit is ferromagnetic and recovered from the drydock floor partly with the aid of a magnetic abrasive pick-up unit, and the recycling station is located on a barge moored at an end of the drydock.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,125 was issued on May 18, 1993 to inventors Charles Garland et al., covering an “Apparatus and Method for Performing External Surface Work on Ships' Hulls.” The system provides for cleaning and/or painting of the exterior of a ship hull while the ship is in dry dock, with one or more staging devices provided. Each such staging device includes a metal framework tower supporting a vertically movable elevator assembly that comprises a trolley, from which a variably laterally projected platform is supported on articulated, cantilevered arms. Adjustable, non-porous shrouds enclose a volume of space between the outside of the tower and an increment of one side of the exterior of the ship hull, from above, fore, aft, and outside. Cleaning and painting operations are conducted from the platform on the hull increment, and debris is removed from the dry-dock deck area enclosed by the shroud, after which the device is moved by crane, typically on the order of approximately twenty feet, towards the ship's bow or stern. The shrouds are then adjusted so that a further hull increment can be worked on at that point. The trolley and extension-retraction of the platform support arms are operated by electrohydraulic winch and hydraulic cylinders, respectively. The margins of the shroud may be fastened by magnets to the hull, and air drawn through the enclosed volume from above is drawn out near the dry-dock deck for processing to remove dust and appropriately treat VOCs, if such VOCs are present. The '125 Patent is jointly owned by Metro Machine Corporation and Tidewater Equipment Corporation of Norfolk, Va. and Chesapeake, Va., respectively, as the dual assignees of record.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,161, also owned by Metro Machine Corporation, as well as Marinex International, Inc. of Hoboken, N.J., was issued on Feb. 4, 1992 for a “Vessel Hull and Construction Method.” The system, developed by inventors Joseph Cuneo, Charles Garland, and Richard A. Goldbach et al., provides for a parallel midbody of a hull of a tanker fabricated of modules, each made of double-walled longitudinal subassemblies welded to one another and to a bulkhead. The subassemblies are made of outer cylindrically curved plates welded edge to edge, and inner cylindrically curved plates welded edge to edge. Longitudinal rib plates are extended between and are welded into joints between curved plates in the inner and outer hulls. The curved plates are convex towards the exterior of the vessel. At respective transitions between the bottom and sides, the inner and outer hulls have bilge radii that approximate in size the radii of curvature of others of the plates, including ones both adjacent to and remote from the bottom-to-side transitions. A fixture for facilitating welding of the T-joints of the subassemblies is also provided, where the subassemblies and modules are fabricated in an up-ended orientation. Each successively completed module is tilted-over and joined to the growing midbody with the aid of a variable buoyancy barge and a caisson pontoon. More specifically, in the room of the system, stationary or fixed elevator towers equipped with shot-blasting and spray-painting nozzles are located in positions in the building, which center them in individual longitudinal cells of the longitudinal subassembly. These elevators are used for automatic shot-blasting and painting of inside surface of the longitudinal subassemblies. Further, elevators are permanently located along the walls of the building to permit automatic shot blasting and painting of outside surfaces of longitudinal subassemblies. Shot-blasting nozzles inside and outside the cells are located only in way of welded T-joints. Paint spray nozzles inside and outside the cubicles provide full surface coverage. Dust collection equipment is provided to remove dust caused by shot blasting, and heating, ventilation, and dehumidification equipment is provided to control the environment and assure that release of solvents and dust to the atmosphere externally of the building is within clean air standards. All electrical installations are explosion-proof.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,157, created by inventors Richard A. Goldbach, James A. McMichael, and Charles A. Garland, was issued on Aug. 15, 2000 for a “Self-Contained Staging System for Cleaning and Painting Bulk Cargo Holds.” In the system, each of a plurality of cargo holds of a bulk carrier vessel has a self-contained staging system lowered into it, from the platform track of which workers operate semi-automatic blasting machines that are mounted onto the platform. The set-up for each vessel also includes, for each hold, a ventilation unit provided on a hatch plug, and a transporter for the staging system. Groups of staging systems are served by on-deck air compressors, and staging systems actually engaging in blasting are served by recycling shot blast units that recycle and supply steel shot. Following blast cleaning, the cleaned surfaces are painted from the platforms. The '157 Patent is owned by Metro Machine Corporation of Norfolk, Va., as the assignee of record to the patent file.

Lastly, European Patent Appl. No. 0,165,911 was published on Dec. 19, 1990 by Rosario Scuderi et al., disclosing a “Method and Robot Platform for Washing, Sandblasting, and Painting in Shipbuilding Dry Dock.” The system was developed in part to provide a universal structure for the three different types of treatments necessary before painting a respective surface (namely, washing, sandblasting, and painting). The system provides a robot platform for washing, sandblasting, and painting in shipbuilding dry dock, of the type insertable into the side structures provided with guide rails of a shipbuilding dock or dry dock, with at least one support translation structure with sliding trolley horizontally controlled on the guide rails of the dock sides. The trolley structure supports a swinging and/or variable-length arm, with a platform mounted at the end in a manner so as to stay always oriented in a predetermined direction, independently of the movements thereof. The platform itself comprises (a) a washing unit with washing nozzles, (b) a sandblasting unit with sandblasting guns provided with dust recovery means, and (c) a painting unit on the trolley means that moves in a reciprocating way at one side of the platform, provided with spray guns orthogonally displaced.

What is needed is a system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude which does not generate the problems discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude providing for safety and avoidance of damage to the barge, the levee, and persons, where a barge is to be conveyed from a waterway, over a levee, through a floodgate in a floodwall, and into a maintenance building, and the reverse operation, by placing a barge in a drydock, resting on support blocks, aligning the drydock with the floodgate, placing level-raising tractors with tractor controllers underneath the barge, raising the barge off of the support blocks, and rolling and lifting the barge over the levee while keeping the barge in a level attitude, optionally under the additional control of a person using a hand-remote tractor controller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top schematic view of an initial stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side schematic view of a second stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a top schematic view of a second stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a top schematic view of a third stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a side schematic view of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side schematic view of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a side schematic view of a fourth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a side schematic view of a fifth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a side schematic view of a sixth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a top schematic view of a seventh stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a side schematic view of an eighth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a side schematic view of a ninth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a side schematic view of a tenth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention; and

FIG. 14 is a side schematic view of a completed stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to all of the figures generally, the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude 10 of the invention is shown.

Referring briefly to FIG. 1, it would be desired to convey a barge 21 on a waterway onto a dock 22, and subsequently over a levee 23 upon the crest of which is a floodwall 24 with a floodgate 25, through which the barge can pass. Referring briefly to FIG. 11, the barge 21 must be kept in a level attitude and pass over the crest of the levee 23 without damage to the barge or to the levee. Referring briefly to FIG. 14, the goal of this operation is to convey the barge 21 into a maintenance building 26, within which the barge can be serviced, repaired, retrofitted, sandblasted, or painted. Afterward, the operation may be performed in reverse, conveying the barge 21 back over the levee and back into the waterway.

Referring briefly to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude 10 provides a drydock 1, support blocks 2, and level-raising tractors 3 having tractor controllers 4 that communicate and coordinate with other tractor controllers 4. Each level-raising tractor 3 has several ranks, rows, or axles of wheels or tires, and each rank of wheels can be extended from or retracted toward the tractor bed independently of the other ranks of wheels. This allows the tractor bed to be kept level while the ranks of wheels conform to any sloping ground beneath, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

Referring now back to FIG. 1, the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude 10 provides a drydock 1 having support blocks 2 pre-placed to support the bottom of the barge along the side perimeters, leaving an unblocked pathway underneath the barge in the substantially axial or bow-to-stern orientation. The drydock 1 is initially partially submerged, with the support blocks 2 under the surface of the water.

Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the barge 21 is floated onto the drydock 1 and positioned over the support blocks 2.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the drydock 1 and the barge 21 are brought into a perpendicular alignment with the dock 2, levee 23, floodwall 24, and floodgate 25. The drydock 1 is then raised so that the barge 21 is resting upon the support blocks 2 and is above the waterline.

Referring now back to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, with the under surface of the sides of the barge 21 resting upon support blocks 2, the unblocked pathway underneath the barge 21 is able to accommodate the level-raising tractors 3 provided by the invention. Each level-raising tractor 3 has an associated tractor controller 4 that controls the rolling motion of the several wheels of the level-raising tractors 3, and further controls the level-maintaining raising and lowering of the barge-supporting bed of the level-raising tractors 3. In typical embodiments for typical barges, two such level-raising tractors 3 are provided, with one fore and one aft of the center of the barge. A particularly short barge could be conveyed with one tractor, and a particularly long or differently configured barge could be conveyed with more than two tractors. However, in the majority of barges that conform to standard sizes, the typical embodiment that provides two level-raising tractors 3 would be appropriate and sufficient.

Referring now to FIG. 7, after the drydock 1 and barge 21 are brought into perpendicular alignment with the dock 22 and the drydock 1 is raised so that the barge 21 and support blocks 2 are above the waterline, the level-raising tractors 3 are rolled onto the drydock 1 and underneath the barge 21. The tractor controllers 4 detect the positions of the barge 21 and the support blocks 2, and maneuver the level-raising tractors 3 so that they remain centered and do not disturb the support blocks, and so that they come to rest at the appropriate locations relative to the center of the barge. Optionally, a hand-remote tractor controller 5 can be provided to allow a person supervising the operation to monitor, modify, or abort the otherwise automatic operation of the level-raising tractors 3 under the control of the tractor controllers 4.

Referring to FIG. 8, the level-raising tractors 3 are positioned underneath the barge 21 at appropriate locations fore and aft of center.

Referring to FIG. 9, the beds of the level-raising tractors 3 are raised so as to lift the barge 21 off of the support blocks 2. The tractor controllers 4 keep each tractor bed level, and, by communicating and coordinating between the tractor controllers 4, keep the tractor beds level in relationship to each other. The barge 21 is accordingly kept level at all times during the operation, avoiding forces that might damage the barge or make the barge unstable and liable to slide or fall.

Referring to FIG. 10, under the power of the level-raising tractors 3 and the control of the tractor controllers 4, the barge 21 is rolled off of the drydock 1, through the open floodgate 25, and over the levee 23, toward the maintenance building 26.

Referring to FIG. 11, under the control of the tractor controllers 4, the different ranks of wheels are extended from or retracted toward the tractor bed so as to accommodate the sloping sides of the levee 23 while keeping the bed of each level-raising tractor 3 level with reference both to itself and to the other level-raising tractor 3. Therefore, the barge 21 is kept level and is kept properly supported when passing over the levee 23. Because the length of the typical barge 21 matches or exceeds the combined width of the upslope, crest, and downslope of the levee, the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude 10 keeps the barge level and properly supported in relation to both slopes simultaneously, and raises the barge to a level above the crest of the levee. With the weight of the barge distributed evenly on the several ranks of wheels on both tractors, the levee 23 is not subjected to damaging concentrated points of force that might damage the structure and integrity of the levee. In particular, the crest of the levee is never subjected to the full weight of the barge, but instead is only subjected to the portion of distributed weight borne by, at most, a few of the ranks of wheels. Further, with the barge evenly supported along much of its undersurface, the barge is never subjected to uneven forces that might damage the barge or make the barge unstable during the operation, where a barge falling off of a tractor could cause extensive damage both to the barge and to the levee.

Referring to FIG. 12, after traversing the levee, the barge 21 is rolled into the maintenance building 26, and is positioned over another set of support blocks 2.

Referring to FIG. 13, the barge 21 is then lowered upon the support blocks 2 in the maintenance building 26. With the support blocks 2 bearing all of the weight of the barge 21, the level-raising tractors 3 can then be rolled out from under the barge, leaving the underside of the barge accessible for servicing, repair, retrofitting, sandblasting, or painting, as illustrated in FIG. 14.

The above operation is repeated in reverse in order to convey the barge from the maintenance building 26, over the levee 23, through the open floodgate 25, over the dock 22, and onto the drydock 1 for floating back onto the waterway.

Many other changes and modifications can be made in the system and method of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude, between a waterway and a maintenance building separated by the levee, said system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude comprising:

(i) a drydock having a submerged position and a floating position, said drydock adapted to move the barge from a water level to a land level and to turn the barge to and from a position in line with a path to the maintenance building;

(ii) a plurality of support blocks arrayed upon said drydock, said plurality of support blocks adapted to support the underside of the barge along the sides of the barge, leaving the medial underside of the barge unblocked;

(iii) at least one level-raising tractor having a plurality of ranks of wheels, and further having a tractor bed, said ranks of wheels being adapted to extend from and retract toward said tractor bed independently one rank from another; and

(iv) a tractor controller for each said level-raising tractor, adapted to control the extension and retraction of said ranks of wheels so as to keep said tractor bed level and to keep different said tractor beds level each with the other;

where, in use: said barge in the waterway is floated onto said drydock, which is then raised so that the barge is supported by said support blocks, and turned to a position in line with a path to the maintenance building; said level-raising tractors are rolled under the barge; said level-raising tractors with said tractor controllers raise the barge off of said support blocks and roll the barge over the levee and toward the maintenance building while still keeping the barge in a level attitude by extending or retracting each said rank of wheels so as to conform to the slopes of the levee and to raise the barge to a height sufficient to clear the crest of the levee; said level-raising tractors with said tractor controllers further roll the barge into the maintenance building and lower the barge onto a second set of said support blocks; and said level-raising tractors are rolled out from under the barge; and

where, in use, the claimed operations are repeated in reverse to convey the barge back into said waterway.

2. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, further comprising a hand-remote tractor controller adapted to allow a person supervising the operation to monitor, modify, or abort the otherwise automatic operations.

3. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed and said supported barge in real time.

4. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to record and report the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed at all times during operation.

5. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to record and report the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed at all times during operation, and to further provide a report documenting that a barge was or was not subject to being supported in an out-of-level attitude.

6. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense and navigate through an open floodgate or opening in a floodwall.

7. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to detect the presence of persons, animals, or moving objects coming within a defined perimeter of a moving barge, and to implement a pre-defined protocol of modifying the rate of movement and raising an alarm when such presence is detected.

8. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense the terrain ahead of the direction of movement of the barge, and to make adjustments or prepare to make adjustments in response to such terrain.

9. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to be pre-programmed with a customary expected route of travel and a set of expected information derived from said customary expected route of travel; to allow a set of sensors to collect a set of real-time information and to allow comparison of said real-time information with said expected information; and to implement a set of pre-defined protocols when said real-time information deviates from said expected information.

10. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense in real time an amount and proportion of the weight of the barge being supported at different locations front-to-back and side-to-side along said tractor beds of said level-raising tractors.

11. A method for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude, between a waterway and a maintenance building separated by a levee, the system for conveying a barge over a levee, said method for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude comprising:

(i) providing a system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude, said system comprising: (a) a drydock having a submerged position and a floating position, said drydock adapted to move the barge from a water level to a land level and to turn the barge to and from a position in line with a path to the maintenance building; (b) a plurality of support blocks arrayed upon said drydock, said plurality of support blocks adapted to support the underside of the barge along the sides of the barge, leaving the medial underside of the barge unblocked; (c) at least one level-raising tractor having a plurality of ranks of wheels, and further having a tractor bed, said ranks of wheels being adapted to extend from and retract toward said tractor bed independently one rank from another; and (d) a tractor controller for each said level-raising tractor, adapted to control the extension and retraction of said ranks of wheels so as to keep said tractor bed level and to keep different said tractor beds level each with the other;

(ii) floating said barge in the waterway onto said drydock, where said drydock is then raised so that the barge is supported by said support blocks, and turned to a position in line with a path to the maintenance building;

(iii) rolling said level-raising tractors under the barge;

(iv) raising the barge off of said support blocks with said level-raising tractors with said tractor controllers, and rolling the barge over the levee and toward the maintenance building while still keeping the barge in a level attitude by extending or retracting each said rank of wheels so as to conform to the slopes of the levee and to raise the barge to a height sufficient to clear the crest of the levee;

(v) further rolling the barge into the maintenance building and lowering the barge onto a second set of said support blocks with said level-raising tractors with said tractor controllers; and

(vi) rolling said level-raising tractors out from under the barge; and

where, in use, the claimed operations are repeated in reverse to convey the barge back into said waterway.

12. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, further comprising a hand-remote tractor controller adapted to allow a person supervising the operation to monitor, modify, or abort the otherwise automatic operations.

13. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, further comprising being adapted to create trial runs of a contemplated movement of a barge, and where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense and record such trial runs and to generate pre-defined sets of expected sensor readings and expected protocols for such contemplated movement of a barge.

14. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to record and report the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed at all times during operation.

15. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to record and report the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed at all times during operation, and to further provide a report documenting that a barge was or was not subject to being supported in an out-of-level attitude.

16. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense and navigate through an open floodgate or opening in a floodwall.

17. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to detect the presence of persons, animals, or moving objects coming within a defined perimeter of a moving barge, and to implement a pre-defined protocol of modifying the rate of movement and raising an alarm when such presence is detected.

18. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense the terrain ahead of the direction of movement of the barge, and to make adjustments or prepare to make adjustments in response to such terrain.

19. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to be pre-programmed with a customary expected route of travel and a set of expected information derived from said customary expected route of travel; to allow a set of sensors to collect a set of real-time information and to allow comparison of said real-time information with said expected information; and to implement a set of pre-defined protocols when said real-time information deviates from said expected information.

20. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense in real time an amount and proportion of the weight of the barge being supported at different locations front-to-back and side-to-side along said tractor beds of said level-raising tractors.