In the International Patent Classification it is classified as Section B-Performing operations; transporting. Class B 63-Ships or other waterborne vessels ; related equipment. Subclass B 63 B-Ships or other waterborne vessels ; equipment for shipping. Main group 59/00-Hull protection peculiar to vessels. Subgroup 59/06- Cleaning devices for hulls.

2. TECHNICAL PROBLEM Professional are well familiar with the problems encountered by ship crews and owners regarding cleaning and maintenance of hull outer surfaces, especially of unreachable parts of the bow and the stern. The problems are related to rusting, dewiness, dripping and leaking, especially at plate welds and other joints. The situation is even worse when this happens with plates behind which there are ballast tanks. All this causes damages to ships. This requires constructing a hanging scaffold connected to the ship, that would enable the crew an easy approach to unapproachable surfaces of the bow and the stern, for the purpose of regular cleaning and maintenance, regardless of where the ship is situated.

3. STATE OF THE ART In the past, while the ship was in a port, a car-crane or similar could have been brought along the ship to do the cleaning and maintenance of the bow and the stern. Today, unfortunately, this cannot be done in ports efficiently for several reasons.

Today, maintenance and cleaning of parts of the bow and the stern hard to approach is performed in ports or dry docks where long hand cranes and other structures on dry or floating docks can be used. All such systems are quite expensive because they depend on other service providers'equipment and labour.

Regular maintenance by the ship's crew is therefore preferred.

Following grinding and cutting, that is, replacing, of certain parts of the hull, the ship will never again be a compact unit, whereby she will loose significantly in her quality and value and will never again satisfy the hydro-dynamic requirements by which she was built.

4. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The essence of the invention is a hanging structure aimed to maintenance of outer surfaces of ship hulls, comprising platform and lines, by which it is possible to reach so far unreachable parts of ship's bow and stern, especially with large ships.

The structure consists of two platforms connected in a T-shape structure, hung by lines at the outer side of the ship's hull. Lines and other ancillary equipment may be used for other purposes on board the ship, unrelated to the hanging structure.

The entire structure is designed simple, easy to dismantle and store at a proper location.

5. ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTIONS Figure 1. shows assembled hanging structure aimed to performing works at the ship's bow.

Figure 2. shows a detail of the Figure 1.

6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN INVENTION EMBODIMENT The hanging structure aimed to maintenance of ship hull outer surfaces, Figures 1 and 2, consists of platforms A and B, of various lengths and widths, made of various materials, mutually connected to form a T shape. The hanging structure is hung from and fixed to the ship hull's outer surface by several lines.

Platform A has the console 1 to which there is fixed the guard rail 5. The guard rail 5 consists of two end poles with rings 8 and one middle pole with ring 9. The end poles 6 are mounted slightly towards the inside of the platform, while the middle pole 7 is slightly shifted from the centre, that is, from the T-shape joint. All three pools are connected with a safety line 10 that is put through the ring at the middle pole and fixed to both end poles. Below the console 1, at its both shorter sides, there are fixed rings 2 and 3 for tying the line, and at the middle of the longer side there is the ring 4.

Platform B has the console 11 on which there is mounted the guard rail 12. The guard rail has the vertical pole 13, that is connected to the middle pole 7 at the console 1 with the line 14. At the beginning of the console 11, at its longer outer side, there is the roller 16, firmly fixed to the platform. The roller is protected by the frame 17 which is firmly fixed to the roller. The frame is to prevent the ship's mooring line 21 from its bed at the roller. On the roller there is a permanent lubrication device. At the longer lateral sides of the console 11, there are mounted baskets 18 where paint containers and other tools and ancillary maintenance materials are kept.

Before passing the ship's mooring line 21 over the roller 16 and mounting the protective frame 17 on theroller, there should be mounted"monkey ladders"19 with rungs 20, of sufficient length. The ladders are by one end fixed to the forecastle 31 or deck 30, whereas the lowest rung is passed through platform B of the hanging structure, the platform resting by its weight on the rung. For this very reason, the guard rail 12 is not fixed, this enabling the hanging structure freely to slide through the last opening of the ladders, the one on which it rests. When the hanging structure is positioned as required, the safety pole 15, at the lower end by the roller, is inserted into the console and fixed with a bolt and a nut.

The ship's mooring line 21 is placed over the roller 16. As the line passes over the roller, it pushes the hanging structure towards the ship's hull. About the middle of the mooring line, there is tied a weight large enough to easily sink with the line below the ship, enabling pulling the mooring-line by a winch and fitting its eye to a bitt or another part of the ship firm enough, at the opposite side of the ship.

The position of the hanging structure is controlled by lines 9, fixed by shackles to adequate rings at the hanging structure.

To the Platform A there are fixed five lines : the hanging lines 22 fixed to rings 8 of the guard rail 5; the hanging line 23 fixed to the ring 2; and the line 24 fixed to the ring 3, used for adjusting at the bow and the stern, tied at the ship's forecastle or deck. The fifth line 25 is fixed by shackle to ring 4 at the under side of the platform and is to stabilise the hanging structure when in the desired position. The line 24 is passed under the ship and pulled by winch as required.

To the platform B, to adequate rings and by means of shackles, there are connected four lines : lines 26 and 27 that maintain the height, where the line 26 is fixed to the ship's bow or deck, and the line 27 is passed under the ship to its opposite side, so that the back part of the hanging structure, if there is tendency of rising, can be lowered into horizontal position. Lines 28 and 29 are run from the side of the ship to the bow and the stern, and enable maintaining the hanging structure position by adjustments from the ship's deck. The above described hanging structure can be adjusted by means of lines both vertically and horizontally, approaching this way the unapproachable parts of the bow and the stern for cleaning and maintenance. After use, all lines van be detached from the hanging structure, used for other purposes or stored.

If the hanging structure is to be moved fore or aft, an additional roller is placed, independent of the very structure, hung from the outer side of the ship and firmly fixed by two steel ropes (one to the bow and the other to the stern). The ship's mooring line is then loosened and moved to the wished position. After this, the roller is released to hang freely at the ship's side, where the hanging structure is to be used. The line that is run under the ship is also moved to adequate position, opposite from the hanging structure. In order to make the crew members working on the hanging structure as independent of the rest of the crew as possible, the structure is fitted with air, water, electricity and other connections, and a sufficient number of baskets 18 is fitted to the outer side of the platform B, to enable keeping paint and other items required in cleaning and maintenance of the ship. For painting, it should be used gun no. 32 of sufficient length, to make the painted surface as large as possible without moving the hanging structure.

Each crew member working on the hanging structure is to be provided with: protective clothing, safety harness connected to the ship's deck or another floating vessel, permanent radio connection with the ship or a rescue boat, and two lifebelts floating freely in the water and connected to the ship or other vessel.

7. INVENTION APPLICATION This invention makes a practical and useful structure that enables quick, efficient and economical cleaning and maintenance of large vessels.

The hanging structure with its ancillary and fitted elements enables the crew to reach the so far unapproachable parts of the ship's bow and stern.