AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BUILDING SHIP, YACHT, SAILING: BOAT, AND OTHER VESSEL, AND OF ALTERING BY LENGTHENING BY THE STERN. THE AFTER HULL OF SHIP, YACHT, SAILING BOAT, AND OTHER VESSEL."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Empson Edward Middleton, of No. 9, Anglesea Place,
Southampton, in the County of Hampshire, (by heritage in law Esquire, for.
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BUILDING SHIP, YACHT, SAILING:
BOAT, AND OTHER VESSEL, AND OF ALTERING BY LENGTHENING BY THE STERN.
THE AFTER HULL OF SHIP, YACHT, SAILING BOAT, AND OTHER VESSEL."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Empson Edward Middleton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th July 1878.
EMPSON EDWARD MIDDLETON, of No. 9, Anglesea Place, Southampton, in the
County of Hampshire, (by heritage in law) Esquire. "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
BUILDING SHIP, YACHT, SAILING BOAT, AND OTHER VESSEL, AND OF ALTERING BY
LENGTHENING BY THE STERN THE AFTER HULL OF SHIP, YACHT, SAILING BOAT, AND
OTHER VESSEL."
The process of building and of altering by lengthening by the stern the after hull
of ship, yacht, sailing boat, or other vessel is described by a Drawing, and the
novelty of the Invention consists in,―
Firstly, Carrying the stern post aft by the lower end, the deck end retaining the
relative position to the length on deck as if the stern post was raked in the usual;
manner or was perpendicular,
Secondly. In carrying aft or lengthening the keel until it meets the new line of
inclination of stern post.
Thirdly. In the advantage of a long, roomy, and commodious counter, which can
be brought well down to the water, or below the water if so preferred.
Fourthly. In the adjustment of the rudder, the blade of which in an ordinary,
ship or sailing yacht requires to be at right angles to the slope of the stern post;
this new inclination of the stern post is directly opposed to present usage.
For steamers in which tonnage or extreme length demand it I propose to place,
rudders under the counter on either side in addition to the rudder directly aft and
amidships; and especially for ironclads I extend this system of rudders, and point:
out that rudders may be multiplied on either side of a huge ironclad in such
:

page_text: numbers as the Admiralty may prefer. These rudders should not of necessity
require a rudder post, as ordinarily understood as such, but could be worked by
chains running outside, of and let in or down through the vessel, and then at an
angle to the rudder blade.
Fifthly. Solely for steamers, and only for such as prefer it. In connecting the
end of the counter with the end of the keel at whatever inclination the keel may
be. This connection can be sharp, like a sword, fore and aft, and can be curved
from the keel and upwards.
Sixthly. In the adjustment of the screw or propeller, and as in combination with
the rudder amidships or abaft.
To carry out this Invention practically carry aft the lower end of the new stern
post to the angle determined on, remembering that a new vessel allows of a greater
choice of angles than will the majority of old vessels to be lengthened, in which
latter the strength of the wood to work in will greatly determine the angle of the
stern post. The deck end of the stern post retains its original or chosen position
relative to the vessel's length on deck. Run the keel out until it meets the stern
post. Set the rudder blade at right angles to the stern post, and where the angle
of the stern post is excessive, as 45 degrees; a picce can be brought on the after side
of the stern post a few feet from the deck end, and as fore and aft measurement,
by which means much of the slip of the rudder can be overcome; but the rudder
works well at an angle of about 25 degrees, and I see no reason why it should not
work sufficiently at a still greater angle.
Rudders advanced under the side of large vessels will be more or less upright,
and need not require a rudder post of necessity, though such post can form part of
such rudder gear if absolutely necessary. I propose to work these rudders by
chains, which shall run down the vessel perpendicularly inside of all, or shall run
down a groove on the outside of the vessel, and shall then act at an angle on the
rudder, the chain being connected with a short lever (sufficient to force the rudder
out, and which shall fall back into its place when the rudder is amidships), or which
connection shall form part of the rudder blade itself.
Finally, and for steamers only, and for such only as prefer it, drop a strong
connection from the end of the counter to the keel. This connection between the
counter and the keel is for such steamers only as may prefer to hang the rudder
abaft all, or to act as a steadiment for the propeller when used abaft all should such
steadiment be deemed advisable owing to the extra length of shaft abaft all. The
propeller may pass through a portion of what would have been the position of the
rudder, which latter can be made to work freely outside of, around, or above the
propeller.
With regard to the rudder astern and amidships, the shaft may be lowered or
raised so as to admit of the shaft clearing the rudder post and also of the propeller,
working clear and above the extreme draft of the vessel; and also clear of the
rudder. In this latter case no connection would be required at all between the
counter and the keel. If the rudder post is required both above and below the.
driving shaft then the rudder post must contain an angular or circular sweep, so as
to admit of the shaft.
The connection between the counter and the keel can be sharp fore and aft, so as.
to impede the vessel as little as possible, and can be curved as drawn.
The counter has several advantages. It acts as a powerful lever to hold the
vessel up to the wind; it saves the main boom from buckling, and thus causes the
main sail to stand well to the wind in a strong breeze, the main horse being at the
extreme end of the counter.
As an accommodation in racing craft the counter makes a capital sail locker.
The construction admits of the counter being brought well down to the water line,
or below it, so, that its length is no disadvantage as weight to carry.
One of the chief advantages of this Invention is the clean delivery of the water
aft attained by the stern being nearly as fine as the bow and in just proportion:
The vessel; if well built, ought not to suck a bubble after it.

page_text: The Invention causes vessels to run very straight in a seaway, and thus adds
greatly to speed; it also makes vessels very weatherly and fast when sailing to the
wind.
The Invention is suitable to large ocean-going vessels where speed is a great
commercial economy.
Three-masted vessels would be able to carry a fourth mast, as a yawl's mast
stepped on the counter.
I consider the Invention very especially suited to the cobble boat which is used
on the north-east coast of England. In those boats should the stern post be thrown
aft not only would most serviceable space be afforded inside the boat, but the angle
of post would assist the boat when running before the wind, in that the seas would
break against it, and the vessel would be supported at the stern and would travel
much safer in dangerous seas when running. In addition when the boat was
beached the angle of the stern post would allow of the boat being lifted bodily up
at the stern, in that the protruding stern would offer a lever to lift the boat by, and
that in the best position, as the men could stand over it, bend down, and lift bodily,
whereas now they have to drag with a rope and at great mechanical loss of power.
The Invention is peculiarly adapted to steamers, and would give an ocean-going
steamer just that hold in the water for want of which numbers have within the
last few years gone ashore in gales of wind. Steamers might find an advantage in
this build without any counter at all; and the same remark is applicable for sailing
vessels, but with these latter if extreme speed is sought then I recommend the
counter; but the counter is no essential necessity of this Invention. The essential
necessity is the slanting stern post.
The Invention ought to save coal both directly to the steamers by increasing the
speed, and also by enabling sailing clippers to be more effective as gaining time on
all points of sailing, but especially so when close hauled dead to windward.
.
The fineness of the stern obtainable on this build offers an opportunity of
advancing twin screws well under the counter.
It remains to be stated that the Invention has been carried ont practically at a
moderate angle of stern post, and as applied to my own yacht the speed has been
increased, and the sail-carrying power has been increased to an extent which has
quite borne out my expectations, and which I feel sure could not have been
attained by any other process to the same extent, keeping the tonnage of the vessel
what it is.
I claim that my Invention shall include all carrying aft of the stern post at an
angle of more than three degrees aft of the vertical, dropped from the stern post
head at the deck end at the fore part of the same in connection with the carrying
aft of the keel, and that at each and every inclination of the said keel.
I also claim as my Invention the dropping of the connection from the end of the
counter and the end of the keel, the same being curved and sharp fore and aft.
I also claim the new extension of counter; this counter embraces a grand
mechanical principle in itself.
Further, I claim the adjustment of the rudder or rudders; this adjustment of the
central rudder also involves a separate principle in the adjustment of rudders.
I also claim the various adjustments of the propeller and rudder in combination.
I claim the whole after-hull, as shown, as improved by this Invention.
A series of central sectional Drawings are annexed. four in number.
EMPSON EDWARD MIDDLETON. (L.S.).
Late Lieutenant of H.M's. 51st R.A.T.T.
Dated 10 July 1878.