Buoy

For the French commune, seeBouy.For the Norwegian island, seeBuøy.For other uses, seeBuoy (disambiguation).

Smart buoy withsolar panels,LED light,andcorner reflectorsforradar

Green can #11 near the mouth of theSaugatuck River(IALA region B).

Green Can #11 on anautical chart

NOAAWeather buoy

Abuoy(/ˈbɔɪ,buː.i/;boy,BOO-ee)is afloatingdevice that can have many purposes. It can beanchored(stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents.

History

The ultimate origin of buoys is unknown, but by 1295 a seaman's manual referred to navigation buoys in theGuadalquivirRiver in Spain.To the north there are early medieval mentions of the French / Belgian RiverMaasbeing buoyed.Such early buoys were probably just timber beams or rafts, but in 1358 there is a record of a barrel buoy in the DutchMaasmond(also known as the Maas Sluis or Maasgat).The simple barrel was difficult to secure to the seabed, and so a conicaltonnewas developed. They had a solid plug at the narrow end through which a mooring ring could be attached.By 1790 the older conical tonne was being replaced by anunbuoy. This had the same conical section below the waterline as the tonne buoy, but at the waterline a barrel shape was used to allow a truncated cone to be above the water. The whole was completed with a top mark.In the nineteenth century iron buoys became available. They had watertight internal bulkheads and as well as topmarks and might have bells (1860) or whistles (1880).In 1879Julius Pintschobtained a patent for the illumination of buoys by using a compressed gas.This was superseded from 1912 onwards byGustaf Dalén'sacetylene lamp.This could be set to flash which ensured that buoys could be distinguished from ships' lights and from each other. A later development was thesun valvewhich shut off the gas during sunlight.

Types

Navigational buoys

• Race course marker buoysare used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form ofyacht racingand power boat racing. They delimit the course and must be passed to a specified side. They are also used inunderwater orienteeringcompetitions.
• Emergency wreck buoysprovide a clear and unambiguous means of temporarily marking new wrecks, typically for the first 24–72 hours. They are coloured in an equal number of blue and yellow vertical stripes and fitted with an alternating blue and yellow flashing light. They were implemented following collisions in the Dover Strait in 2002 when vessels struck the new wreck of theMVTricolor.
• Ice marking buoysmark holes in frozen lakes and rivers so snowmobiles do not drive over the holes.
• Large Navigational Buoys(LNB, orLanby buoys) are automatic buoys over 10 meters high equipped with a powerful light monitored electronically as a replacement for alightvessel.They may be marked on charts as a "Superbuoy."
• Lateral markerbuoys
• Safe water markorfairway buoysmark the entrance to a channel or nearby landfall
• Sea marksaidpilotageby marking amaritimechannel, hazard or administrative area to allowboatsandshipstonavigatesafely. Some are fitted with wave-activated bells or gongs.
• Wreck buoysmark a wrecked ship to warn other ships to keep away because of unseen hazards.
• Light buoysprovide demarcation at night.

Marker buoys

Buoys are often used to temporarily or permanently mark the positions of underwater objects:

• Lobster trap buoysare brightly colored buoys marking lobster trap locations solobster fisherscan find their lobster traps. Each fisher has a unique colour marking or registration number. They are allowed to haul only their own traps, and must display their buoy colour or license number on their boat so law enforcement officials know what they should be hauling. The buoys are brightly coloured with highly visible numbers so they can be seen in poor visibility conditions likerain,fogandsea smoke.
• Fishing floatsare a type of lightweight buoys used inanglingto mark the position of thebaitedhooksuspended underneath, and as abite indicatorto signal the angler any changes in the hook's underwater status.

Diving

Several types of marker buoys may be used bydivers:

• Decompression buoysare deployed by submergedSCUBAdivers to mark their position underwater whilst doingdecompression stops
• Shot buoysmark dive sites for the boat safety cover ofscuba diversso they can descend to dive sites more easily in conditions of low visibility ortidal currentsand more safely dodecompression stopson their ascents.
• Surface marker buoysare taken on dives byscuba diversto mark their positions underwater.
• Dive site demarcation buoysindicate that divers are working in the marked area, to warn passing vessels to stay clear.

Rescue

• Lifebuoysare lifesaving buoys thrown to people in the water to providebuoyancy.They usually have a connected line allowing them to be pulled in.
• Self-locating datum marker buoys(SLDMB) are 70% scale Coastal Ocean Dynamics Experiment (CODE)/Davis-style oceanographic surface drifters with drogue vanes between 30 and 100 cm deep,designed for deployment fromU.S. Coast Guardvessels or airframes for search and rescue. They have very little surface area above water to minimizethe effectson them off winds and waves.
• Submarine rescue buoysare released in emergencies and for communication purposes.

Research

• Profiling buoysare specialized buoys that adjust their buoyancy to sink at a controlled rate to a set depth, for example 2,000 metres while measuring sea temperature and salinity. After a certain period, typically 10 days, they return to the surface, transmit their data via satellite, then sink again.SeeArgo (oceanography).
• Tsunami buoysare anchored buoys that can detect sudden changes in undersea water pressure, and are a component oftsunami warning systemsin thePacific Tsunami Warning Centerand Indian Oceans.
• Wave buoysmeasure the movement of the water surface as a wave train. The data they transmit is analysed to form statistics likesignificant wave heightand period, and wave direction.
• Weather buoysmeasure weather parameters such as air temperature, barometric pressure, and wind speed and direction. They transmit this data, via satellite radio links such as the purpose-builtArgos Systemor commercialsatellite phonenetworks, to meteorological centres for forecasting and climate study. They may be anchored (moored buoys), or allowed to drift (drifting buoys) in the open currents. Their position is calculated by the satellite. They are also referred to asOcean Data Acquisition Systems,or (ODAS) buoys.and may be marked on charts as "Superbuoys."

Mooring

• Mooring buoyskeep one end of amooringcable or chain on the water's surface soshipsand boats can tie to them. Manymarinasmark them with numbers and assign them to particular vessels, or rent them to transient vessels.
• Tripping buoysare used to keep one end of a 'tripping line' to be used to break out and lift an anchor on the water's surface so that a stuckanchorcan more easily be freed.

Military

• Marker buoys,used innaval warfare(particularlyanti-submarine warfare) emit light and/or smoke usingpyrotechnicdevices to create theflareandsmoke.Commonly 3 inches (76 mm) in diameter and about 20 inches (500 mm) long, they are activated by contact with seawater and float on the surface. Some extinguish themselves after a specific period, while others are sunk when they are no longer needed.
• Sonobuoysare used byanti-submarine warfareaircraft to detectsubmarinesbySONAR.
• Target buoyssimulate targets, such as small boats, in live-fire exercises by naval and coastal forces. They are usually targeted by medium-sized weapons such asheavy machine guns,rapid fire cannons (~20 mm),autocannons(up to 40–57 mm) andanti-tank rockets.

Specific forms

• DAN buoysare used as:
  • Large maritimenavigationalaids providing a platform forlightandradiobeacons
  • Lifebuoys with flags, used onyachtsand smaller pleasure craft
  • Temporary markers inDanish seinefishing to mark net anchor positions
  • Temporary markers set bydanlayersduring minesweeping operations to indicate the boundaries of swept paths, swept areas, known hazards, and other locations or reference points
  • Temporary markers forrescue operations
• Spar buoysare tall, thin buoys that float upright, e.g.R/P FLIP

Other

buoy withletter boxinTöre

• Letter boxes on buoys exist inTöre(Sweden) and at theSteinhuder Meer(Germany)

Fictional

• Imaginary"Mail buoys"have been used as aprankin the US Navy when a new sailor may be given the task of locating one to retrieve non-existent mail.
• Space buoys,a feature in some science fiction stories which are stationary objects inouter spacethat provide navigation data or warnings.

Other uses

• The word "buoyed" can also be used figuratively. For example, a person can buoy up ('lift up') someone's spirits by providing help and empathy.
• Buoys are used in somewave powersystems to generate electrical power.
• George A. Stephen,founder ofWeber-Stephen Products Co.,invented the kettle grill by cutting a metal buoy in half and fashioning adomeshaped grill to it with a rounded lid.

Gallery

• 
  Several different buoys at a storage depot.
• 
  A buoy used as turn marker for sailing races.
• 
  Old iron buoys, most likely for mooring.
• 
  Children playing on a buoy in theVolga
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  Recycled surface buoys
• 
  A buoy beached atSebastian Inlet State Park.
• 
  Emergency buoy of the Swedish submarineNordkaparen
• 
  Gas buoy stranded on land after1915 Galveston Hurricane,near Texas City, Texas
• 
  Starboard lateral Buoy (Lateral mark- Region B -IALA) as Channel Marker Buoy at "Río de la Plata" river,Buenos Aires,Argentina
• 
  Tsunami buoy before deployment in Andaman Sea
• 
  Lobster buoys hanging on a tree, Sprucehead Island, Maine, United States
• 
  Buoys in dry storage, Homer, Alaska
• 
  Drifting Buoy fitted with a Barometer
• 
  Buoy undergoing repair
• 
  Ring life buoy with a light on a cruise ship
• 
  North cardinal buoy off the coast ofWhitby,North Yorkshire
• 
  The weather buoy moored at the coordinates ofNull Island,located at 0°N 0°E
• 
  Ice-resistant buoys MR-2S and N-2 at a playground in Tallinn, Estonia

See also

• Bowditch's American Practical Navigator– Encyclopedia of maritime navigation
• Buoy anti-tank obstacle– British anti-tank obstacle
• Buoyancy– Upward force that opposes the weight of an object immersed in fluid
• Day beacon– Unlighted nautical sea mark
• GPS buoy– Buoy equipped with a GPS receiver
• International Arctic Buoy Program– Programme to provide meteorological and oceanographic data
• Lateral mark– Sea mark marking the edge of a channel
• Lighthouse– Structure designed to emit light to aid navigation
• Lightship,also known as Lightvessel – Ship that functions as a lighthouse
• List of lights– Publication describing lighthouses and other aids to maritime navigation
• PowerBuoy– Marine power station
• United States Coast Pilot

External links

• Global Buoy Network Maps
• Lighthouses and BuoysArchived2013-01-24 at theWayback Machine
• North American Buoy Map