Missile snubber mechanism

Claim 1

IN A SHIPBOARD MISSILE LAUNCHER OF THE TYPE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CELL HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING LAUNCHER RAIL DISPOSED THEREWITHIN AT THE TOP THEREOF FROM WHICH A MISSILE IS ADAPTED TO BE SUSPENDED BY MISSILE SUSPENSION LUGS AND ALONG WHICH THE LUGS ARE ADAPTED TO SLIDE DURING LAUNCHING OF THE MISSILE, THE IMPROVEMENTS, IN COMBINATION, COMPRISING; (A) A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED LOWER SNUBBERS DISPOSED IN THE CELL BENEATH THE MISSILE HAVING MISSILE ENGAGING MEMBERS MOUNTED BY GUIDE MEANS FOR RESTRAINING SAID MEMBERS TO UPWARD RECTILINEAR MOVEMENT INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MISSILE, (B) LONGITUDINALLY SPACED PAIRS OF UPPER SIDE SNUBBERS EACH PAIR COOPERATING WITH A LOWER SNUBBER, THE SNUBBERS OF A PAIR BEING DISPOSED, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE MISSILE, BELOW SAID RAIL AND EQUIANGULARLY SPACED FROM THE ARIL, AND MOUNTED BY MEANS PERMITTING MOVEMENT INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MISSILE, AND (C) MEANS FOR MOVING ALL MEMBES INO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MISSILE FOR SECURING THE MISSILE IN A FIXED POSITION WITHIN THE CELL, WHEREBY SHIP PITCH AND ROLL FORCES TENDING TO ACT ON THE MISSILE LUGS ARE ABSORBED BY THE SNUBBERS.