A floating dock, floating pier or floating jetty is a platform or ramp supported by
pontoons. It is usually joined to the shore with a gangway. The pier is usually held in place by vertical poles referred to as pilings, which are embedded in the seafloor or by anchored
cables. Frequently used in
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
s, this type of pier maintains a fixed vertical relationship to watercraft secured to it, independent of
tidal, river or lake elevation. The angle of the gangway varies with the water level.
Braby pontoon
'Braby pontoon' was the name given to a type of floating dock used by flying boats in Australia and New Zealand from 1939 to the 1950s.
Frederick Braby and Company was a British manufacturer of tanks and silos,
Bailey bridge
A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...
s and pontoons. The Braby name was also attached to the general type of pontoon made with ship tanks, whether or not they were manufactured by Frederick Braby and Company. Two 1939 descriptions of a Braby pontoon in
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
stated:
A new type of floating jetty will he used in Auckland for the berthing of the flying-boats. Mr. Turnill stated this morning that this type is known as the "Braby pontoon", and it has been used previously only at Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
. It has been well tested there and has been found to be most satisfactory. It consists of two twin sections joined in an arc underneath the water.
and
Shaped like a U, the pontoon resembles a miniature floating dock, and consists of two parallel decks joined by a submerged framework. Tanks give the necessary buoyancy. When the flying-boat has landed, it is warped into position by the ground crew, and is drawn tail-first into the pontoon, coming to rest with the hull between the two sections of decking and above the submerged frame. Inflated buffers on the inner edge of the decking prevent the delicate hull from being damaged.
A Braby pontoon constructed at
Evans Bay in
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
, New Zealand in 1951 consisted of 124 large square steel tanks connected together and ballasted with water and oil.
The pontoon was U-shaped, long and wide. Flying boats were winched tail-first into the U so that passengers could step onto the pontoon dock.
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
. The vertical "spud" only anchors the dock sections in place, and does not provide structural support for loads upon the dock.
File:PontoonHuntleysPoint.jpg, A pontoon in Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
See also
*
Gaza floating pier, a floating pier built during the Israel–Hamas war
*
Floating dock (impounded), other types of floating docks
*
Floating dry dock, other types of floating docks
References
{{reflist
Coastal construction